Dive Brief:
- President-elect Donald Trump on Monday appointed Jeff Eisenach and Mark Jamison to his transition team to help oversee his telecom policy agenda.
- Eisenach, an economist and former FTC employee, and Jamison, a former Sprint lobbyist and head of the University of Florida’s Public Utility Research Center, are both long-time opponents of the network neutrality rules the Obama Administration passed in 2015.
- Net neutrality rules prevent internet providers from charging websites like Netflix and Facebook a fee to access users at faster speeds.
Dive Insight:
Both Eisenach and Jamison have fought against the net neutrality rules, and the fact that Trump has appointed them to his team indicate he is seriously looking at repealing the rules. Trump previously said net neutrality was "just another way to attack conservative media."
The FCC has not commented on the appointments. Though the roles are just advisory, they could indicate policy changes to come.
Dissolving net neutrality rules would be a benefit to internet providers, but a setback for companies that stream large amounts of content, like Netflix. Because streaming video services like Netflix would have to pay internet providers more if net neutrality rules are repealed, service users could also potentially see their bills increase. As it stands, Netflix accounts for more than 35% of all North American internet traffic, according to broadband analysis firm Sandvine.
