WASHINGTON D.C – The Federal Communications Commission voted on Wednesday approving sweeping regulations by the Biden Administration that would give control of the internet.
Analysts are warning the plan would give almost complete control of the internet to the government.
The plan would reinstate net neutrality rules and assume new regulatory oversight of broadband internet that was rescinded under former President Donald Trump.
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The vote comes after Democrats took majority control of the five-member FCC in early October for the first time since President Joe Biden took office. Biden signed a July 2021 executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules adopted under Democratic President Barack Obama.
Reuters reports, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, representing major internet service providers, criticized the vote, saying “by introducing the most sweeping command and control framework ever imposed on broadband networks, the FCC’s proposal is a monumental change in how the internet will be regulated.”
Raza Panjwani, senior policy counsel of the Open Technology Institute, said the plan would empower the FCC “to address roadblocks to deploying broadband infrastructure, require reporting about network performance and resiliency (and) keep Americans connected during public emergencies.”
“The idea these regulations will not impact rural deployment defies credulity: If practically every business decision is subject to potential liability, companies will inevitably shift resources that would have otherwise been spent on deployment and innovation to hiring more lawyers and asking the FCC ‘mother-may-I.’ Your Draft Order’s sweeping scope, ambiguous, open-ended guidance, extensive enforcement framework, and expansive claimed remedial authority, would prevent providers from making such decisions without risking endless complaints and potential liability untethered from the statute’s objectives,” said Senator Ted Cruz.
For even more, check out the following. Net Neutrality is a thing.
Don’t be fooled: Net neutrality is about more than just blocking and throttling
