NET NEUTRALITY: FCC will fight for your right to Netflix, but not through courts
The Federal Communications Commission will not appeal a court ruling that struck down “net neutrality” rules intended to grant consumers equal access to Web content. Instead, the FCC will develop new rules for net neutrality, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement Wednesday.
What did the court decide? Last month, an appeals court in Washington ruled that the FCC cannot impose net neutrality rules over Internet providers. The decision came after Verizon filed a challenge to the rules in 2011, saying the FCC lacked the authority toenforce them. Verizon argued, and the court agreed, that the Internet should not be regulated like utilities, like telephone services, The New York Times reports.
What is “net neutrality”? Approved by the FCC in 2010, net neutrality rules prevented Internet service providers from blocking or discriminating against websites and content, CNN explains.
Why does it matter? Supporters of net neutrality argue that Internet access is a human right. When the rules were struck down, some feared that the ruling opened the door for Internet providers to cut deals with some websites to allow their content to be delivered faster than other sites.
How does this affect consumers? Without net neutrality rules, Internet providers may be able to pick and choose which websites and services get the fastest, best access. For example, a provider could slow down a service like Netflix if the provider wanted to encourage viewers to use a competing service — some Verizon users believe the company has throttled their access to both Netflix and Amazon, Ars Technicha reports.
What happens now? The commission will not immediately seek to reclassify the Internet as a utility, The New York Times reports.
Instead, Chairman Wheeler issued a statement about the FCC’s plans to develop new rules that will protect equal access to Web content, but still fall in line with the court’s ruling:
“In its Verizon v. FCC decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit invited the Commission to act to preserve a free and open Internet. I intend to accept that invitation by proposing rules that will meet the court’s test for preventing improper blocking of and discrimination among Internet traffic, ensuring genuine transparency in how Internet Service Providers manage traffic, and enhancing competition.”
“Preserving the Internet as an open platform for innovation and expression while providing certainty and predictability in the marketplace is an important responsibility of this agency.”
Meg Wagner, Digital First Media
