![]() ![]() More fights lie ahead when the new federal rules are established but let’s review what’s happened so far and what they mean for protecting your access to the Internet. Both appointees made clear their support for the 2015 Open Internet Order and belief that the FCC should begin a process to re-establish federal authority over broadband carriers, including network neutrality rules. With President Biden’s appointments of Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Gigi Sohn, a net neutrality pioneer, to staff the FCC’s leadership team, we can usher in a better era. ![]() ![]() Next year is when we will undo the 2017 repeal and once again put the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) back to work doing its job: protecting consumers from bad actors, working towards universal and net-neutral internet access, and accurately assessing the playing field in telecommunications. Opponents say the plan could incentivize companies to violate net neutrality principles and use internet service providers outside the EU, which would negatively affect the security and quality of some internet services.When all is said and done-and there are some major steps to take in 2022-the United States will mark 2021 as the last year without federal net neutrality protections. Proponents of the plan argue drivers of internet traffic should pay for the upkeep and expansion of internet infrastructure. tech firms to maintain Europe’s telecommunication network. The European Union is considering taxing Google, Netflix, Facebook and other large U.S. Some legislation prevents rich companies from buying faster internet and stops providers from exempting their own content (like streaming services) from contributing to customers’ data caps, which some say helps small or cash-strapped companies compete with giants like Netflix or Google. Proponents argue net neutrality ensures everyone gets the same access to the internet regardless of wealth or status and prevents internet service providers from controlling what information consumers can access. Others predict net neutrality rules could ultimately raise costs for consumers, because if providers can’t charge different amounts for different services, they will start charging consumers based on the number of people using the network, forcing everyone to pay more. Writer and internet analyst Larry Downes further asserts Internet service providers generally uphold net neutrality without specific regulations because of market pressure and the oversight of the Federal Trade Commission. Opponents of net neutrality generally argue preventing internet service providers from charging different prices for different services removes all incentive for providers to innovate or invest in expanding their bandwidth. President Biden is working to bring federal net neutrality regulation back-he signed an executive order in July 2021 asking the FCC to bring back some Obama-era protections and nominated Gigi Sohn to join the deadlocked FCC three months later-but has been largely unsuccessful. California’s 2018 net-neutrality bill was challenged three times in court by internet service providers and the Department of Justice before the companies stopped their legal fight in May 2022. The FCC repealed the 2015 net neutrality rules in December 2017 under then-President Trump, touching off a series of legal battles concerning the right of states to impose their own net-neutrality rules. The order gave the FCC authority over internet service providers by reclassifying them as telecommunications services, and implemented rules preventing providers from blocking or slowing down legal internet content or charging more for better service. The Federal Communication Commission first enshrined the principles of net neutrality in 2005, but was denied the legal authority to enforce them until the Open Internet Order passed in 2015 under then-President Obama. California, Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have passed state net neutrality legislation. ![]()
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