Ajit Pai, a former Verizon lawyer and the current head of the FCC, has announced plans to repeal Net Neutrality regulations that will benefit his old company, as well as all other telecom providers, at the expense of an open and free internet for consumers.
Ajit Varadaraj Pai, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, has announced his intent to repeal Net Neutrality regulations. While news about government officials sacrificing the rights of consumers in the name of bigger profit margins for corporations is not new, the fact that a self-professed free speech advocate like Pai is spearheading this movement is somewhat shocking. It is no secret that ending Net Neutrality would be bad for consumers. Yet, Pai would still argue that Net Neutrality is actually somehow hurting consumers and the internet, rather than protecting them both from Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet. Instead, the FCC would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them.” – FCC Chairman Ajit V. Pai
At its most basic level, Net Neutrality ensures equal access to the internet, for both consumers and internet companies. Without these regulations in place, Internet Service Providers will be free to charge users more to view certain types of content and restrict access to certain websites. Net Neutrality forbids ISPs from stopping or slowing down (“throttling”) the delivery of websites or from charging consumers more for streaming services like Netflix.
The telecom companies that provide internet access have lobbied for years against any and all regulations of their industry. If they get their way, they will be able to block access to websites and slow down internet service speeds. When Pai says that the ISPs will have to “be transparent,” he means that they will be able to do all of these things as long as they tell the consumers they are doing them.
When he says consumers will be able to “buy the service plan that’s best for them,” he means the internet will become a pay to play service where the ISPs can restrict and extort to whatever extent they wish. Think about how companies like Comcast structure their cable packages, then imagine how they will be able to gouge you when you try to go online.
“[Insert political website here]? Sorry, we don’t carry that website. Would you like to visit [insert Comcast approved news outlet] instead? Facebook? You’ll need to purchase a Premium Package for that.”
Internet companies like Google and Facebook have long argued against the ending of Net Neutrality, expressly because it would allow an ISP to charge extra fees for accessing certain sites or allow them to slow down others. Currently, an ISP cannot slow down a service like Netflix in order to make their pay-to-stream services seem more attractive. Without Net Neutrality in place, this is sure to become a reality for every American that utilizes the internet.
Another argument against Net Neutrality was that it somehow stifled innovation. However, the reality is that smaller online companies and startups may not even be able to enter the market, as they will not be able to afford the costs that larger companies can pay for. This would in all reality allow large companies to monopolize the “premium” internet market, preventing smaller companies from access because of preferred treatment for higher paying customers.
“We are disappointed that the proposal announced today by the FCC fails to maintain the strong net neutrality protections that will ensure the internet remains open for everyone,” Erin Egan,Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer, Policy at Facebook
In lieu of keeping regulations in place that prevent telecom companies from taking these actions, the FCC is pushing any potential action onto the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. This shows that Pai knows what they are allowing the ISPs to do would empower them to abuse consumers, yet they are unwilling as FCC to take action to prevent this behavior.
In fact, Pai has claimed that Net Neutrality only prevented “theoretical abuses.” This is because the regulations were put in place before the abuses were allowed to happen, once the potential was identified.
Chairman Pai has made it no secret that he is not concerned with the needs and wants of the public he is supposed to serve. When announcing the upcoming December 14th vote that will roll back Net Neutrality, Pai did not acknowledge the 22 million public comments during the FCC’s comment period after the initial announcement of intent to repeal.
The record-breaking reaction by the American public surpassed the prior comment record of 3.7 million, which was in reaction to a previous announcement regarding a proposed repeal of Net Neutrality. During a call with reporters, a senior FCC official said that many of the responses were a form letter and that they didn’t take anything seriously that was an opinion or that didn’t make “serious legal arguments” or entered new facts into the discussion.
What is interesting is that while the FCC dismissed support for Net Neutrality, they were also refusing to cooperate with an investigation into a coordinated campaign that sought to inflate conversation that agreed with the FCC’s plan to repeal. According to the New York Attorney General, the legally required comment period had been hijacked by commenters that were fraudulently using the names and emails of American citizens to file support for the repeal of Net Neutrality.
“For six months my office has been investigating who perpetrated a massive scheme to corrupt the FCC’s notice and comment process through the misuse of enormous numbers of real New Yorkers’ and other Americans’ identities. Such conduct likely violates state law — yet the FCC has refused multiple requests for crucial evidence in its sole possession that is vital to permit that law enforcement investigation to proceed.” – New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
The sad reality is that the Federal Communications Commission is going to move forward to do the will of telecom companies, rather than protect a free and open internet for all American citizens. It is no coincidence that Pai made the announcement during one of the busiest travel days in America, with the likelihood that holiday news would bury it.
The FCC vote will occur on December 14th and will most likely be passed by people that the American public cannot vote out of office. However, the FCC does answer to one group of people: Congress. While the situation is dire, Net Neutrality is not dead yet. Between now and the vote, Congress can use its influence to force the FCC to stop their plan to kill a free and open internet. The only way to make your voice heard is to take a few minutes and call your Senators and Representatives. Click Here to find out who they are, so that your voice will be heard.
It was only in March of this year that Congress voted to repeal an FCC regulation, allowing Internet Service Providers to sell your web browsing history to marketers. Previously, an ISP had to have permission granted by the individual consumer to take, share, or sell your web browsing data. We already lost that battle. And while Chairman Pai may claim that the FTC will protect consumers from abuses after the repeal of Net Neutrality, we can see from this instance that this isn’t true.
All it took for Congress to take this action was money from the telecom providers and silence from the American public. When you call your elected officials, mention the dollar amount that the telecom companies have given them and ask them if that is all it will cost for them to sell you out.
An open and free internet has been one of the greatest advances in all of human history; we must not remain silent while a few men kill it in the name of profit.
