This is a big week for those concerned about the ongoing battle over Net Neutrality. But then the last few weeks were also big. Currently, the FCC is moving forward with a vote on Thursday, May 15, on a proposed new rule that will decide the future of how the Internet works. The decision to advance rather than delay the vote came after at least two FCC commissioners asked President Tom Wheeler to delay the action. The FCC also receives very loud and public comments from powerful players in the tech industry and politics, along with their support for Net Neutrality principles.
In fact, the public has been calling the FCC so many times that it has tied up their phone lines to such a point that the FCC is asking those interested to send an email instead. The FCC has created a special email address for those who want to use it. This . Also there is this a Reddit thread with a list of email addresses and contact information for the FCC and commissioners.
Note that the “official” deadline for public comment has passed before a vote takes place. FCC rules state that the agency must stop accepting public comments on an item one week before an item is set to be discussed at an open meeting. That said, he is confident the protests will increase in volume this week.
Suffice it to say that the FCC is feeling a little hot about the rule changes proposed by President Tom Wheeler. Earlier last week, a coalition of more than 100 major tech firms, including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix and Yahoo, signed a letter to the FCC expressing their support for Net Neutrality principles.
After this very public commitment of support News that a group of venture capitalists also reported their concerns to the FCC Regarding the changes in the new rules, “If established companies can pay for better access speeds or lower latency, the Internet will no longer be a level playing field”
Two of the FCC commissioners, Democratic commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Democratic commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, called for the vote to be delayed. Politicians also weigh in. A group of ten Democratic senators sent a letter asking the agency to include questions about the reclassification of Internet lines. Title II rules were originally written for telephone networks. In essence, if the FCC sees abuses, as President Tom Wheeler said, Title II allows the FCC to label ISPs (broadband and cellular providers) as co-carriers, which makes them subject to more specific regulations.
And also last week, the little Web hosting company, NeoCities staged own protest and reduced FCC access to the NeoCities website Up to 28.8 Kbps speeds. NeoCities has also uploaded code to Github so other companies can do the same. Of course the FCC would have to visit those sites to notice the slowdown.
Several online protests, as well as protests outside FCC offices in Washington DC, are scheduled for May 15, the day of the vote. Some protesters are already outside FCC offices.
And of course, the other side of the argument is starting to make his case public. AT&T filed an old letter The FCC claims that any action under Title II to classify ISPs as common carriers will actually harm the Internet and fail to have the desired effect.
Specifically, we noted that calls for the reclassification of broadband Internet access services as a Title II telecommunications service would entail risks and harms that dwarf any assumed benefits, nearly thwart management’s ambitious broadband agenda, and would not prevent paid access in any event. prioritization adjustments that seem to be the sole focus of reclassification advocates.
AT&T also made some threats that were not veiled enough to tie the practice in the case if Title II were to go into effect in this case. There’s a lot of money at stake here.
Will all protests and lobbying influence the FCC’s decision? Definitely. What effect is still unpredictable. Despite President Tom Wheeler’s insistence to go ahead with a May 15 vote, it’s unclear whether he’ll get votes from other commissioners to do so.
War is going towards a trust. Wheeler vehemently defends the rule changes, saying that ISPs are prepared to pull back all stops to ensure they can’t create a layered Internet system that could hinder innovation and harm consumers. His explanations were very powerful and accurate. Supporters of Net Neutrality are skeptical and do not take the president’s word. They are not wary of the possibility that these new rule changes may allow the creation of a “fast lane” that would allow larger companies to pay to have their content delivered preferentially to smaller companies.
Note that Wheeler’s background was as President of the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), both of which are powerful lobbying organizations to oppose any regulation on behalf of industry giants. .
What fuels the debate is Wheeler’s urgency to move the matter forward.
The idea of net neutrality (or Open Internet) has been debated for ten years with no lasting results. Internet Openness today is a special based on large companies. More delay will make this problem worse. NPRM is seeking input on the best way to protect and promote the Open Internet.
He has strongly expressed that he will not tolerate delay and wants the new rules to come into effect and come into effect by the end of December 2014.
The public and all parties involved in watching the FCC talks on this issue may have really stepped up the pressure, but ISPs . Wheeler is right in trying to create a set of rules that govern how business and entertainment is conducted over the Internet. As it currently stands, the fear is that companies will create business practices that, once implemented, will be difficult to reverse if abuses occur.
The political dynamic is also a risky proposition, as most observers think President Tom Wheeler will get the two-to-two vote with the other four commissioners, regardless of how the issue is framed.
