Updated US regulators are expected to roll back net neutrality protections that were put in place during the Obama administration, and the announcement is arriving at a time when many journalists may be out of the office.
Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all online traffic equally, whether it comes from a small blog or a major streaming service. To most people, this concept of equal treatment feels fair and straightforward.
ISPs counter that not all services place the same demands on their networks. High-bandwidth services such as video streaming use far more capacity than simple websites, they say. Without net neutrality rules, an ISP could demand extra payments from a service like Netflix to ensure fast delivery to users. If a streaming provider declines to pay, that ISP could throttle its traffic or place it in a slower “lane,” degrading the user experience.
Another concern is that when an ISP owns, partners with, or gives preferential treatment to particular online services, competitors can be disadvantaged. That could affect anything from streaming video to the loading speed of basic web pages. For many sites and apps, speed is crucial—studies show a significant portion of users abandon pages that take too long to load, so every second matters.
In 2015, regulators prohibited “paid prioritization”—the practice of allowing faster access in exchange for payment—after widespread public opposition. That ruling was intended to prevent ISPs from creating preferential lanes or disadvantaging rivals.
Supporters of net neutrality, including consumer advocates and large online platforms, argue that regulation is necessary to limit the power of broadband providers and to stop them from using control over network infrastructure to influence competition and consumer choice.
The plan to rescind those protections is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Historically, administrations sometimes make controversial policy moves around holidays when public attention and media coverage are reduced.
Evan Greer, campaign director at Fight for the Future, began organizing opposition weeks ago and asked supporters to push lawmakers to intervene. “The good news is that we are hearing from people who are meeting with Congress that there are key lawmakers who are sympathetic to the cause, and considering stepping in to slow down the FCC,” she wrote. “But they need to be getting a lot more phone calls from constituents in order to act.”
The FCC is expected to vote on the changes at a meeting in mid-December. If preserving equal access to the internet matters to you, now is the time to pay attention and make your voice heard.
An easy click-to-call tool has been made available for constituents at https://www.battleforthenet.com to contact lawmakers directly.
Updated: The FCC has signaled its intentions. The regulator issued a statement announcing a vote on December 14 to “restore internet freedom and eliminate heavy-handed internet regulations,” language that describes the planned repeal of net neutrality rules.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the Obama-era decision to adopt net neutrality was “a mistake” that, in his view, suppressed investment in broadband infrastructure and discouraged innovation. Pai argued that his proposal would return some oversight responsibilities to the Federal Trade Commission, which he said would be able to police ISPs, protect consumers, and encourage competition as it did prior to 2015.
The FCC released a full statement and supporting documents that outline the proposed changes and the rationale behind them.
Are you concerned about net neutrality? Share your thoughts in the comments.