Net Neutrality Approved: The Internet Remains Free

Today, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to approve net neutrality in a 3-2 vote and prohibit Internet providers from charging consumers for access to fast lanes on the internet.

The move by the FCC to approve net neutrality will keep the Internet free and means small mom and pop websites will be treated the same as giants like Verizon. It will also prohibit the creation of slow lanes and ensure all content is treated equally.

“In general, if an action hurts consumers, competition, or innovation, the FCC will have the authority to throw the flag,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told the USA Today.

The FCC’s reasoning in approving net neutrality is that there is little competition among Internet providers and it would be unfair to the rest of us if they had too much power. The Internet provider for most Americans is usually a cable company despite other industry entrants like satellite or DSL.

“We are very unlikely to see any kind of broad-scale, national competitor to the incumbents in the near future,” Kevin Werbach, a former FCC counsel and an associate professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told The New York Times.

That’s because the new net neutrality rules, expected to be adopted today, aren’t designed to protect newcomers to the field, but rather stop abuse from incumbents.

The new net neutrality rules would deem broadband Internet providers to be utilities, like the phone company, which would put them under Title II guidelines and the FCC’s authority.

Today’s net neutrality decision also represents a victory for the Obama Administration and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler as well as a defeat for Republicans and a huge cable company lobbying effort.

The vote comes after a lengthy discussion on net neutrality started more than a year ago in January of 2014 when the courts struck down the FCC’s ability to regulate the internet.

The decision sparked a nationwide debate in which more than 4 million people filed complaints with the FCC, according to the USA Today.

Opponents of net neutrality, including two Republicans on the commission, say the new regulations aren’t needed and worry that today’s vote could lead to overregulation and stifle investment.

The commission’s ruling on net neutrality is also expected to signal the start of a lengthy court battle with lawsuits likely being brought by cable companies in a bid to overturn the commission’s decision.

“It’s not going to work,” Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, told the LA Times at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Wednesday. “It is going to be tested in court and it’s going to fail in court.”