The Federal Communications Commission voted to dismantle landmark rules regulating the businesses that connect consumers to the internet, The New York Times reports.
The agency, in a 3-2 vote, scrapped so-called net neutrality regulations prohibiting broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content.
The federal government will also no longer regulate high-speed internet delivery as if it were a utility, like phone services. The action reverses the agency’s 2015 decision, during the Obama administration, to better protect Americans as they have migrated to the internet for most communications.
Ajit Pai, FCC chairman, says the rollback of the rules would eventually help consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer people a wider variety of service options.
“We are helping consumers and promoting competition,” Pai said before the vote. “Broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”
But critics say there isn’t enough competition in the broadband market to trust that the companies will try to offer the best services for customers.
