Net neutrality - live updates: Politicians prepare to fight against FCC's decision to scrap rules protecting internet freedoms
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Your support makes all the difference.The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under the direction of President Trump, has voted to repeal Obama-era rules governing net neutrality.
The five-person board has voted in favour of ending net neutrality, a decision that could have a huge effect on the way the internet works.
Supporters of net neutrality say the move could open the door for internet service providers (ISPs) to charge customers more and dictate what people use the internet for.
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Immediately after the vote, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he intended to file a legal challenge against the vote. It is unlikely to be the last.
ISPs greeted the news warmly, but Senator Ed Markey a Democrat from Massachusetts said he would be looking to introduce an act in Congress calling for a review of the FCC decision. he labelled it a "historic mistake".
Republican commissioners Ajit Pai, Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr are expected to vote in favour of repealing the net neutrality rules today.
Democratic commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn, meanwhile, are expected to vote to keep the rules in place.
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King, Jr. made a last-ditch attempt to get today’s net neutrality vote cancelled.
“Repealing the FCC’s net neutrality rules will undermine long-standing protections that that have ensured the open internet as a powerful and transformative platform of innovation and economic opportunity,” their letter to Ajit Pai reads.
“Good morning Mr. Chairman and commissioners. This declaratory ruling, report and order and order take several actions to restore internet freedom. First, the declaratory ruling restores broadband internet access service to title I information service classification,” says Deborah Salons from the Wireline Competition Bureau.
Commissioner Clyburn says: “Thank you. I dissent. I dissent from this spun legally lightweight consumer-harming, corporate enabling, destroying internet freedom order. I dissent because i am among the millions outraged, outraged because the FCC pulls its own teeth advocating responsibility to protect the nations broadband consumers. Some may ask why are we witnessing such unprecedented ground swell of public support for keeping the 2015 net neutrality protections in place?
“Because the public can plainly see that a soon to be toothless FCC is handing the keys to the internet, at one of the most remarkable, empowering, enabling inventions of our lifetime, over to a handful of multibillion-dollar corporations.”
She continues: “I do not believe that there are, five Republican members of congress went on the record in calling for halt to today's vote. Why such a bipartisan outcry? Because the large majority of americans are in favor of keeping strong net neutrality rules in place. But the saddest part to the majority ignores the will of the people.”
“The results of throwing out net neutrality protections may not be felt, right away. Most folks will get up tomorrow morning, get ready for work and over the next week, wade through what would be hundreds of headlines. We will grow tired of those hundreds of headlines and grow tired of hearing from endless prognosticators and quickly emerge ourselves into a sea of holiday bliss.
“But what we have brought today will one day be a parent and by then, when you really wake up and see what has changed, I fear it may be too late to do anything about it because there will be no agency empowered to address your concerns.”
Commissioner Clyburn adds: “Particularly damning as what today's repeal would mean for marginalized groups like communities of color that rely on platforms like the internet to communicate.
“Traditional outlets rarely if ever consider the issues or concerns or their coverage. It was through social media, remember, that the world first heard about Ferguson Missouri because those legacy outlets did not consider them worthy enough for coverage until that hashtag started trending.”
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