The Federal Communications Commission made a decision on Thursday to initiate the procedure of restoring net neutrality regulations. This brings the conversation back to the forefront, as the agency had previously voted to countermand the net neutrality regulations which had been in place for only a short time in 2017. By voting to accept the notice of proposed rulemaking, the public will now be able to express their opinion on the subject.
The Federal Communications Commission Thursday voted to initiate the process of reinstating the net neutrality rules, reigniting the argument that has simmered since 2017 when the agency withdrew the regulations which mandated that ISPs treat all web traffic equally and not block or throttle any specific content. The FCC now has a Democratic majority following the swearing in of Anna Gomez as the fifth commissioner.Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman of the FCC, declared her intention to be guided by net neutrality principles as soon as the new majority was in place, while Congress declined to set the regulations into law. After the agency's approval of the notice of proposed rulemaking, the public can voice their opinion about the issue.At the meeting, Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, both Republicans, voiced their concerns regarding the implications of reclassifying ISPs as public utilities under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. The possibility of the imposition of price controls on ISPs has been a key point of disagreement among the parties. Furthermore, Simington stated that ISPs have been more competitive than ever and that regulation in the form of Title II is wrong at this time.Opponents to net neutrality have argued that claims of it being the end to the internet as we know it have not come to pass, especially since the Trump-era repeal of the policy.On the other side, Rosenworcel stressed that the present situation of net neutrality, albeit in California and other states, is proof of ISPs complying with an open internet policy, and that it is therefore time to reach a national consensus. Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of CNBC parent company NBCUniversal.
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