Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday announced plans to restore rules aimed at ensuring internet companies treat all traffic equally.
What's happening: The net neutrality rules would place providers under the same classification as phone companies, allowing the FCC to treat the internet as an essential service subject to greater regulation.
- The FCC's rules aim to prevent internet companies from slowing down service, blocking content or showing preferential treatment to websites that pay by, for example, increasing speeds.
- The FCC won't be able to impose requirements on regulating rates or unbundling networks with its new authorities, senior FCC officials said.
- The agency would be able to block companies that might be controlled by an adversarial country collecting U.S. data and entering U.S. networks, and would also have authority to require additional cybersecurity protections by network operators.
Why it matters: Proponents of the rules say they're necessary for ensuring information flows freely and consumers continue having access to an open and free internet, defend national security and advance public safety.
- Anna Gomez's confirmation finally gave Democrats the majority on the FCC they needed to move forward.
Of note: Some states like California already have net neutrality rules, and the agency's move is an effort to replace what they call a patchwork of rules with one strong federal standard.
The other side: The Obama-era rules to reclassify broadband under what's known as Title II were fought by the telecom industry in court and eventually rolled back under former President Trump's FCC Chair Ajit Pai.
- Internet service providers oppose net neutrality rules because they say they can open the door to other overreaching government rules.
What's next: The agency on Oct. 19 will vote on whether to advance the draft rules.
