Malcolm Owen
The Federal Communications Commission is asking for comments from the public about its repeal of net neutrality, but only because it is legally required to do so in the wake of a lawsuit from Mozilla fighting the order - a lawsuit the FCC won.
In 2017, the FCC voted to approve an initiative to end net neutrality called "Restoring Internet Freedom," one that forced the end of net neutrality protections on June 11 in 2018. In the time since, the FCC has been in court fighting against Mozilla to undo the repeal of the protections, and in the last week, the case concluded in the FCC's favor.
Despite ending largely positively for the FCC, the court offered concerns over the commission's decision to nullify its own rules, The Register reports, forcing it to request feedback from the general public on the matter. The feedback includes whether the repeal has endangered the public in any way, affected spending on infrastructure, or caused issues with related programs, such as Lifeline scheme for low-income consumers.
The request for comments is meant to give the FCC an external view of whether it is meeting its mandate in making the net neutrality decision in the first place.
Despite being a public request, it seems the FCC is attempting to make it as hard as possible for consumers to provide feedback while still abiding by the court's demand, by minimizing the visibility of the request. The FCC's announcements on Wednesday placed a number of other inconsequential and positive announcements high up on the list, before burying the request under an announcement oddly titled "WCB Seeks Comment on Discrete Issues Arising from Mozilla Decision."
While the title is factual, as it references the Wireline Competition Bureau and the D.C. Circuit Court's decision on Mozilla, it doesn't reveal it is to do with net neutrality until site visitors click the title and see the term "Restoring Internet Freedom."
The Register admits it was only alerted to the existence of the request because of a more direct press release issued by FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who more plainly states the FCC is "Seeking Public Comment on Net Neutrality Remand." In the statement, the commissioner asserts "The FCC got it wrong when it repealed net neutrality."
"My Advice? The American public should raise their voices and let Washington know how important an open internet is for every piece of our civic and commercial lives," Rosenworcel writes. "The fight for an open internet is not over. It's time to make noise."
Members of the public are able to file a comment until March 30, 2020 via the FCC's Electronic Filing System, under proceeding 17-108 Restoring Internet Freedom.
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35 Comments
Sorry it is not fast enough for you, It will be a slow death, you will hardly notice at first then one day certain websites seem sluggish while the big guns will be lighting fast.
Has any one read the whole Net Neutrality law that was in place by the last administration? There may be one great piece but as a whole it is not great. FCC can do a lot of censorship and oversight. Not just in cost.
Mr. Pai came to the FCC from Verizon and has been on a mission to give the telecom/ISP lobby their wish list starting with net neutrality. He is not your friend regardless of your political viewpoint.
Simply stated, net neutrality is equal access for both those who provide content- like Apple Insider - and consumers who view it. By the way, both the providers and consumers already pay ISPs for internet access.
A free and open internet needs for there to be equal access to the whole internet both to serve for a fair commercial market and for an open exchange of ideas among the public. The huge companies we all know like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix and such were able to become what they are in part because of an online environment where your content and service was the determining factor in your success- not a rigged internet where their sites were not hobbled by a second or third tier online connection.
There is also a reasonable concern about a fair an open internet that allows for the free exchange of ideas. Despite the flame wars that get outsized attention, most online commenters are reasonable and not offensive.
Landline ISPs are a natural monopoly due to the expense and complexity of the build out and upkeep of the connections. Very few people have a choice regarding broadband landline internet connections. Wireless is not really a competition due to the low data caps imposed upon wireless networks and the common problems with congestion. As such, there is a compelling need fro some level of government oversight to make sure ISPs to not abuse their market position.
Does anybody believe that the Ajit Pai or his FCC minions give a damn what the American people think? But, he's just the foot soldier.
This government sponsored, political giveaway of our airwaves to the telecomms won't be fixed until after the politicians who backed it are removed from office.