U.S. regulators invoked broad powers to ensure that Internet traffic for all users is treated equally, adopting net neutrality rules that supporters say will preserve a wide-open Internet and that opponents vow to fight in court.
As Bloomberg reports, the measure approved today by the Federal Communications Commission prohibits companies such as AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. from blocking or slowing online traffic, or offering faster service in return for payment. It also brings wireless Internet service under the rules.
With the vote, the FCC is seeking to settle more than a decade of debate about whether the Internet should be a highway offered to all users on equal terms, or whether broadband providers can levy fees and restrict access. The previous set of net-neutrality rules passed by the FCC in 2010 was voided by a federal appeals court.
Today’s vote was supported by the three Democratic commissioners and opposed by the two Republicans, and enshrines a regulation backed by President Barack Obama. It was opposed by cable and telephone companies, which say the rules risk stifling a fast-growing Internet and will lead to rate regulation. Cox Communications immediately issued a statement following the FCC’s decision, saying it amounts to federal overreach and could lead to new taxes and higher bills for its customers.
“Enacting Title II is an unnecessary government overreach that goes beyond net neutrality protections and is a risk to the Internet, which has been an ever increasing robust engine of commerce, communications and learning since its creation,” says Cox Southeast Senior Vice President and Region Manager Jacqui Vines in a prepared statement. “The adoption of Title II regulations leaves open the distinct possibility of new taxes and increased costs for consumers.
Vines adds the FCC decision “is sure to be challenged in court causing a great deal of uncertainty that will have an impact on future investments and innovation.”
