The Federal Communications Commission plans to reinstate net neutrality protections that were nixed in 2018 during the Trump administration. Restoring those Obama-era rules has been on President Joe Biden’s agenda for years, but a deadlocked FCC has prevented that from happening during his time in the White House so far. Now, one day after Anna Gomez was sworn in as the third Democratic member on the FCC’s five-person panel, the agency is pushing forward with an attempt to bring back net neutrality regulations.
When net neutrality rules are enforced, internet service providers are not allowed to block or give preference to any content. They can’t throttle access to specific websites or charge the likes of streaming services for faster service. They must provide users with access to every site, content and app at the same speeds and conditions. Advocates tout net neutrality protections as the foundation of an open and equitable internet.
FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a long-term supporter of net neutrality rules, announced a plan to restore those protections on Tuesday. “This afternoon, I’m sharing with my colleagues a rulemaking that proposes to reinstate net neutrality,” Rosenworcel said at an event at the National Press Club. “We will need to develop an updated record to identify the best way to restore these policies and have a uniform national open internet standard.”
The aim is to “largely return to the successful rules” that the FCC adopted in 2015 when President Barack Obama was in office. The proposal aims to reclassify both fixed and mobile broadband as an essential service alongside water, power and phone services under Title II of the Communications Act.
Rosenworcel noted that this is a first step in the process of restoring net neutrality. It will likely take quite some time until net neutrality regulations are restored, as Bloomberg notes. The FCC commissioners will likely start with a vote on the issue ahead of a lengthy period of notice, during which time the agency will accept public comments. The commissioners would then take another vote on the rules. While the push to restore net neutrality rules may prove successful, the implementation could be delayed by legal challenges.
“For everyone, everywhere, to enjoy the full benefits of the internet age, internet access should be more than just accessible and affordable,” Rosenworcel said. “The internet needs to be open.” She added that repealing net neutrality protections “put the FCC on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of the American public.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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