Dive Brief:
- Friday marked the one-year anniversary of the Federal Communications Commission's ruling on net neutrality.
- The rule requires all Internet traffic to be treated equally, preventing Internet service providers from slowing down Web traffic, blocking it entirely or allowing a company to pay to speed up delivery of content.
- Despite new legislation seeking to repeal the rules, the FCC is moving forward with implementation.
Dive Insight:
As Free Press puts it, without net neutrality, service providers could create "slow and fast lanes" for Internet traffic, with some companies paying to ensure their content stays in the "fast lane." With politicians pitted against one another, officials will likely continue to debate this issue in the future.
When the net neutrality rule was adopted last year, it generated court challenges. One year later, critics are still urging authorities to either change or repeal the rule. Some say the FCC overstepped its powers in the case because it changed the way it treats Internet providers under the law in order to do so. A three-judge panel is currently weighing that issue specifically.
Meanwhile, legislation to repeal the regulations was introduced last week by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and co-sponsored by GOP presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz, R-TX, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
“So-called net neutrality leads to fewer choices, fewer opportunities and higher prices for consumers,” Cruz said in a statement. “If the FCC turns the Internet into a regulated public utility, the innovation and creativity that has characterized the Internet from its dawn will inevitably be stifled.”
Elsewhere, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and other net neutrality supporters said that the rule is key to protecting the open internet.
