Federal Communications Commission set to reverse net
neutrality rules
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[December 14, 2017]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal
Communications Commission is expected on Thursday to rescind net
neutrality rules championed by Democratic former President Barack Obama
that barred the blocking or slowing of internet traffic.
The 2015 rules barred broadband providers from blocking or slowing
access to content or charging consumers more for certain content. They
were intended to ensure a free and open internet, give consumers equal
access to web content and prevent broadband service providers from
favoring their own content. Chairman Ajit Pai proposes allowing those
practices as long as they are disclosed.
Internet service providers clashed with Democrats and celebrities like
"Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill ahead of a vote this week as the battle
over net neutrality stretched from Hollywood to Washington.
Protesters including some members of Congress are expected to rally
outside the FCC in Washington before the vote.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Dec/14/images/ads/current/cca_lda_WINTER1_2017.png)
Pai's proposal marks a victory for big internet service providers such
as AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc that opposed
the rules and gives them sweeping powers to decide what web content
consumers can get. It is a setback for Google parent Alphabet Inc and
Facebook Inc, which had urged Pai not to rescind the rules.
Michael Powell, a former FCC chairman who heads a trade group
representing major cable companies and broadcasters, told reporters that
internet providers would not block content because it would not make
economic sense and consumers would not stand for it.
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![](../images/121417pics/busine40.jpg)
Net neutrality advocates rally in front of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) ahead of Thursday's expected FCC
vote repealing so-called net neutrality rules in Washington, U.S.,
December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Dec/14/images/ads/current/johnson_lda_2017.png)
"They make a lot of money on an open internet," Powell said, adding it is "much
more profitable" than a closed system. "This is not a pledge of
good-heartedness, it's a pledge in the shareholders' interest."
A University of Maryland poll released this week found that more than 80 percent
of respondents opposed the proposal. The survey of 1,077 registered voters was
conducted online by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of
Maryland from Dec. 6-8.
Democrats have said the absence of rules would be unacceptable and that they
would work to overturn the proposal if it is approved. Advocates of the net
neutrality rules also plan a legal challenge.
Pai's proposal is "like letting the bullies develop their own playground rules,"
said Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.
Many Republicans back Pai's proposal but want Congress to write net neutrality
rules. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the FCC would "return the
internet to a consumer-driven marketplace free of innovation-stifling
regulations."
A group of nearly 20 state attorneys general asked the FCC to delay the vote
until the issue of fake comments is addressed.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Sanders and Lisa Shumaker)
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