What you need to know
- The FCC announced that it has voted to restore net neutrality across the country.
- A press release said the FCC will begin ensuring that ISPs no longer block or throttle a user’s Internet access, while also becoming more proactive during service outages.
- The FCC’s vote says it can create a “national standard” where the internet becomes an “essential service” across the United States
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today (April 25) completed a vote to restore net neutrality in the country.
According to the FCC, the restoration will return the Internet to the agency’s Title II telecommunications service classification. The FCC says this will allow it to “protect consumers, defend national security and improve public safety.”
The FCC’s current chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, issued a statement to AP News saying, “In our post-pandemic world, we know that broadband is a necessity, not a luxury.” The measure reportedly passed with a 3rd vote :2 ratio adopted according to party lines.
With net neutrality back on the line, there are a few factors consumers should consider when it comes to their internet access and broadband networks.
The FCC says the vote to restore neutrality “prohibits” internet providers from “blocking and throttling” a user’s speeds and activities. Additionally, services can no longer pay to prioritize legitimate content over others.
Regarding service outages, the FCC adds that it can now play an active role in figuring out how to restore internet for affected users.
The other side concerns the FCC’s ability to monitor national security. The press release said the government agency had regained the ability to “revoke the authorizations of foreign companies that pose a threat to national security to operate broadband networks in the United States.”
Finally, the FCC’s successful vote means it can now create a “national standard” that treats the Internet as an “essential service.”
Today we voted to restore net neutrality. This will restore a national open internet standard to protect consumers, defend national security and improve public safety. https://t.co/moRpznTDEdApril 25, 2024
This has been a long road, as the FCC’s rules were introduced back in 2015, courtesy of then-Chairman Tom Wheeler. However, two years later, in 2017, the FCC voted to repeal all of these rules, returning us to a time when ISPs could dictate certain aspects of our internet service. The only requirement was that internet services had to publicly declare that they would block or throttle services.
After the Trump administration scrapped net neutrality rules, talks about reinstating them in 2021 resumed after the Biden administration issued a sweeping executive order calling on the FCC to reinstate its rules. In context, net neutrality ensures that all users have the same access and browsing speeds when surfing the Internet. As we saw after today’s vote, ISPs can no longer throttle or block everything a user interacts with.