Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers (www.cnn.com)
from return2ozma@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 25 Apr 2024 21:04
https://lemmy.world/post/14696230

#technology

threaded - newest

autotldr@lemmings.world on 25 Apr 2024 21:05 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The US government on Thursday banned internet service providers (ISPs) from meddling in the speeds their customers receive when browsing the web and downloading files, restoring tough rules rescinded during the Trump administration and setting the stage for a major legal battle with the broadband industry.

The net neutrality regulations adopted Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission prohibit providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from selectively speeding up, slowing down or blocking users’ internet traffic.

The latest rules show how, with a 3-2 Democratic majority, the FCC is moving to reassert its authority over an industry that powers the modern digital economy, touching everything from education to health care and enabling advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The vote marks the latest twist in a years-long battle between regulators on the one hand, who say consumer protections are needed to ensure all websites are treated equally, and ISPs on the other who describe the rules as heavy-handed government intervention.

Whether it is throttling content, junk or hidden fees, arbitrary pricing, deceptive advertising or unreliable service, broadband providers have proven over the years that without proper oversight, they will not hesitate to use their power to increase profits at the expense of consumers.”

In past legal battles over net neutrality, courts have deferred to the FCC, ruling that it has wide latitude to regulate ISPs as it sees fit using the authority it derives from the agency’s congressional charter, the Communications Act of 1934.


The original article contains 861 words, the summary contains 242 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

zcd@lemmy.ca on 25 Apr 2024 21:37 next collapse

I vote for Ajit Pai to go to jail

db2@lemmy.world on 25 Apr 2024 22:14 next collapse

He can bunk with that asshole who screwed up the post office.

Zorque@kbin.social on 25 Apr 2024 22:26 collapse

Last I checked he was still in charge of it. The people Biden selected for the board of governors apparently decided he was an ok guy.

AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world on 26 Apr 2024 01:30 collapse

He’s qualified. He’s just an asshole.

Zorque@kbin.social on 26 Apr 2024 14:23 collapse

One might say, if they were a discerning individual, that that would be a disqualifying quality in a candidate.

[deleted] on 26 Apr 2024 02:03 next collapse

.

simplejack@lemmy.world on 26 Apr 2024 03:27 collapse

I vote for him to work in a carnival dunk tank for the rest of his professional life. That guy is a clown.

Th4tGuyII@kbin.social on 25 Apr 2024 21:50 next collapse

It's great that the FCC can get back to doing it's job properly now that its chair isn't an industry plant

CyberSeeker@discuss.tchncs.de on 25 Apr 2024 22:06 next collapse

So if ISPs are once again Title II common carriers, how can they enforce the TikTok ban? 🤔

blarth@thelemmy.club on 26 Apr 2024 02:38 collapse

It will be enforced through the app stores, I imagine. You raise a good point, though, that people will still be able to access TikTok through mobile web.

EngineerGaming@feddit.nl on 26 Apr 2024 09:17 next collapse

I don’t doubt that TikTok would eventually post an apk on its website after being banned from app stores, so app should be a non-issue too.

ricdeh@lemmy.world on 26 Apr 2024 16:51 collapse

But in the U.S., most people use iPhones :(

prole@sh.itjust.works on 26 Apr 2024 14:53 next collapse

Could be the beginning of a nationwide firewall type system like they have in China. I feel like most current methods of blocking an app could be pretty easily circumvented.

Beyond the government sniffing every packet and blocking TikTok-related ones, I’m not sure how else they could effectively block the app.

And that’s a very bad path to start down.

[deleted] on 26 Apr 2024 17:51 collapse

.

djsoren19@yiffit.net on 25 Apr 2024 22:20 next collapse

This is two back to back huge wins for Biden, and honestly for all people who understand that corporate regulation is the only way we’re crawling out of our boring dystopia. Killing non-competes AND restoring net neutrality in the same week is massive for Americans.

BeardedSingleMalt@kbin.social on 25 Apr 2024 23:11 next collapse

Sadly, the average person has no idea what this is or what it means

june@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 26 Apr 2024 02:11 collapse

These are excellent steps. Is this the Biden admin trying to build some positive reception among people who are upset about his support of Israel?

xthexder@l.sw0.com on 26 Apr 2024 19:58 collapse

I don’t think this has anything to do with Israel. The government moves so slow, this was probably all started back in 2021 or 2022 at the start of his term.

InternetUser2012@midwest.social on 25 Apr 2024 22:56 next collapse

Everyone bitching about Biden, yet he’s actually doing something besides slinging insults and eating adderall. I really hope he curb stomps the cheeto come election time.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 26 Apr 2024 16:52 collapse

I don’t, I just hope cheeto man loses. I’m not a fan of Biden, but I’m less a fan of Trump.

I’d love for some third party to suck up enough of the vote that we have a 3-way race, with Trump coming up short.

InternetUser2012@midwest.social on 26 Apr 2024 22:10 collapse

I don’t have a problem with Biden, I feel he’s done an adequate job considering what he has to deal with. I would love to see a three way race but all that would do is take blue votes away because red is voting red regardless of who is on the ballot. So a third party is just a W for the red.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 26 Apr 2024 22:55 collapse

Eh, he was near the bottom of my list of preferences for 2020, and his running mate was my absolute lowest. I’m no Democrat, and I would’ve voted third party if the opponent were pretty much anyone else, but I did end up voting for him because Trump was so bad.

I’d love to see a big third party that pulls more from the right, just to stick it to Trump.

shortwavesurfer@monero.town on 25 Apr 2024 23:14 next collapse

You know, the FCC is supposed to be experts on these kinds of things. And the fact that they can just flip-flop back and forth based on political whims makes me not trust their expertise at all. It makes them look really bad.

captainlezbian@lemmy.world on 26 Apr 2024 16:19 collapse

They’re a regulatory body. If a Republican president really wanted to ban pasteurizing milk they could make the FDA do it

Killing net neutrality was a political whim that went against expert opinion, undoing it isn’t. Much in the same way that a liberal court would almost certainly reinstate roe

UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca on 26 Apr 2024 12:26 next collapse

But who will think of the shareholders!!!

K1nsey6@lemmy.world on 26 Apr 2024 15:46 collapse

How about regulating those fucking prices? I now pay the same price for 300Mbps that I used to pay for 1gbps

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 26 Apr 2024 16:50 collapse

Nah, go the other way: deregulate competition.

Prices stay high because ISPs are able to block competition with stupid compliance laws (e.g. obstacles to run cable, obstacles to register, and lawsuits galore). In my area, prices are pretty reasonable, because we actually have decent competition. We have:

  • DSL
  • Cable
  • local ISP - based on failed old muni fiber rollout (stupid state laws)
  • radios - works well for some people
  • 5G-based services
  • upcoming muni fiber project

The muni fiber project is doing a lot of work here, but our local ISP is pretty decent as well, with speeds from 20/10 to 1000/500, from $40 to $125, taxes included in price (5 tiers total; only had two crappy tiers before muni fiber project announced). Cable prices are also reasonable because they need to compete with the local muni ISP, but they hide fees and whatnot, so I don’t bother with them.

K1nsey6@lemmy.world on 27 Apr 2024 00:36 collapse

As someone thats lived through numerous industry deregulations, it never works out in favor of the consumer.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 27 Apr 2024 01:39 collapse

That’s a pretty broad brush you got there.

Basically what happened was, cable companies made a deal with cities to essentially get a monopoly on Internet infrastructure, and they keep lobbying for additional barriers to block entry for new competitors. So if a new telecom tries to come in, they’ll lock them up in lawsuits to encourage them to go away. Here’s an example in Nashville. Generally they’ll lobby for newcomers to have to ask them for help or permission, then drag their feet to waste the other company’s time and money.

So eliminating those types of regulations could help new ISPs compete in new markets. There should obviously be some regulations, but they need to be reasonable and relevant, like they need to fix any roads they dig up, get permission from the city to run cable on existing conduit, etc.