US: The FCC backs away from net neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that it will allow content providers to pay Internet service providers priority streaming, a move that throws the future of net neutrality into uncertainty.

The FCC’s announcement follows three months after an appeals court twice struck down the agency’s original proposal that looked to guarantee so-called open Internet, which would prohibit companies like Google or Netflix to pay ISPs for faster content streaming. The move was meant to level the playing field for all content providers, some of which may not have the funds to pay for faster content delivery to viewers.

But FCC head Tom Wheeler defended the FCC’s change of heart on the matter, slamming critics of the proposals who say they destroy net neutrality as “flat out wrong.”

Instead, Wheeler said, the proposals would allow appeals courts to enforce and define the guidelines of net neutrality.

According to reports, the FCC’s new rule proposals could lead to top content companies charging viewers more to make up for costs paid to ISPs for priority streaming.

The hypothesized effects of the FCC’s announcement have been attacked by consumer groups and customers alike. Common Cause’s Media and Democracy Reform Initiative program director Todd O’Boyle, for example, said the rules, if they move forward, “will represent Washington at its worst.”

Full Content: NYTimes

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