With FCC’s net neutrality ruling, the US could lose its lead in online consumer protection

[Commentary] As the US continues to debate whether to embrace internet freedom, the world is doing so already, with many countries imposing even stronger rules than the ones the Federal Communications Commission did away with. Other countries are facing similar dilemmas about how to deal with today’s digital realities, and are slowly and individually contributing to a patchwork of laws that differ from country to country. But many highly industrialized and rapidly developing countries share a general consensus that regulations ensuring an open internet are good for consumers and for civil society.

Legally speaking, policy and regulatory decisions made in the US don’t hold any direct power in other countries. However, domestic rules about the internet will indeed affect the global conversation around net neutrality. What the US decides, through the FCC, the courts and potentially even through Congress, will determine whether US leadership on the internet remains strong, or whether it will cede ground to other countries willing to protect their citizens.

[Sascha Meinrath is the Director of X-Lab and Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Pennsylvania State University. Nathalia Foditsch is a Ph.D. Student in Law and Communications at American University]