FCC restores net neutrality regulations

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to reimpose federal standards for broadband internet providers. The regulations will help protect consumers and maintain national security, according to an FCC statement.

Did these rules not exist previously? According to the U.S. National Archives, the regulations were first implemented in 2015 during President Barack Obama’s administration. Just a few years later, the FCC under former President Donald Trump repealed that action and replaced it with one it said would restore internet freedom. At that time, the FCC criticized net neutrality regulations, saying they had stifled innovation and raised prices.

What will these reimposed regulations do? The net neutrality regulations prevent companies from blocking, degrading, or prioritizing certain lawful web content over other content. They do so by reclassifying internet access as a telecommunications service, according to Title II. That classification means that internet service providers have to treat all consumers and all providers equally, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s conversation with Tim Nester on The World and Everything in It podcast about “The Dirty Dozen”—12 internet companies that enable predators to exploit children.