The Federal Communications Commission has voted to assert its authority over the broadband industry in the US once again. In a 3-2 vote, the agency reinstated net neutrality rules that were removed during the Trump administration’s deregulation push.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel stated that broadband is now considered an essential service and therefore requires oversight. The approved rules will reclassify broadband services as “common carriers” under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, subjecting them to the same scrutiny as telephone networks and cable TV.
These rules aim to prevent internet service providers from blocking or slowing down legal content, or allowing online services to pay for faster delivery speeds. It remains to be seen whether net neutrality will remain in place or if this vote is just another step in a regulatory battle.
The reclassification was initially attempted by the Obama administration after a lawsuit by Verizon in 2011. This led to the introduction of the Open Internet Order of 2015, which imposed new rules with net neutrality as its guiding principle.
Previous net neutrality rules were overturned by the Trump-appointed FCC chair Ajit Pai, who criticized the recent vote as a “waste of time.” The current rules under Rosenworcel differ somewhat and aim to defend against industry practices and examine industry behavior more closely.
Net neutrality is a principle aimed at balancing the interests of broadband companies with those of consumers by ensuring that all internet traffic is treated equally, regardless of its source.
