Regulatory classification

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) continued to rail against the Federal Communications Commission's December decision to undo Obama-era net neutrality protections, arguing that the ruling could especially hurt Americans living in rural communities who face fewer choices when it comes to high-speed internet providers. Sen Markey, who is leading a Senate effort to override the FCC's controversial rollback, joined Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and other net neutrality advocates in highlighting the challenges rural Americans could face if the internet does not remain "free and open." 

More than 100 US mayors have signed on to the Cities Open Internet Pledge requiring all internet providers that do business with participating cities to adhere to strong Net Neutrality principles.  The effort was launched during the SXSW conference in March when Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York City, Steve Adler of Austin (TX) and Ted Wheeler of Portland (OR) released the pledge and urged fellow mayors to sign on.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its net neutrality rules in December 2017. “The backlash to the repeal was overwhelming from internet users across the political spectrum. It led to a situation where we’re actually on the offense and we have this incredible tool, a powerful tool, somewhat of a blunt instrument, that Congress can use to block the FCC’s incredibly unpopular decision and keep these rules in place,” said Evan Greer, deputy director of internet advocacy group Fight for the Future.

[Op-ed] There is considerable confusion about what’s really at stake in the congressional debates over net neutrality and online privacy regulation.

Catherine Moyer, CEO of the nonprofit Pioneer Communications in Ulysses (KS) said network neutrality hadn’t thwarted her company’s infrastructure spending. Rather, she said the broadband investment drop in 2015 was likely due to uncertainty about internet infrastructure subsidies. Moyer said now that net neutrality rules have gone away, there’s a chance to bargain with Netflix and other companies looking to spare their customers the purgatory of buffering. More than half of Pioneer’s traffic is now streaming video. Netflix alone accounts for 42 percent.

[Commentary] Until recently, the Federal Communications Commission dutifully provided statistics, perhaps framed in ways to support a policy objective. But until now, not one statistical report included a partisan jab. Despite lots of blabber about empiricism and humility, someone thought it fair and balanced to couple regularly-reported statistics with an unsupported assertion that the 2015 Open Internet Order singularly caused a decline in the pace of increased subscribership and network performance during the last two bummer Obama years.  In a statistical report, mandated by law, the FCC

Network neutrality is dead. The rules governing today’s internet, known as the 2015 Open Internet Order, will be lifted any day now. It will mark the first time the US has gone without some form of net neutrality since the 1990s. What happens to net neutrality now? Despite the Federal Communications Commission giving internet providers free reign, immediate changes aren’t likely.

The long, long trail winding from the Federal Communications Commission's Dec. 14, 2017, decision to eliminate network neutrality rules and the actual rollback of those rules continues to wind through Washington, with April 27 the next red-letter day. While some were reporting that April 23 was the effective date of the Restoring Internet Freedom order, that was not the case, or at least not the case with the overwhelming majority of the order, which still awaits the turn of another government wheel or two.

Gov Gina Raimondo (D-RI) ordered state agencies to use internet providers who observe network neutrality rules. Gov Raimondo said she issued the executive order so Rhode Islanders can “rely on the free exchange of information on the internet including the ability to access the content of their choosing.” The order mimics legislation pending in the state’s General Assembly that is intended to incentivize internet providers into following the Obama-era rules repealed by President Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

A Republican-led Colorado state Senate panel rejected a net neutrality bill April 24. The state-level measure attempted to disqualify internet service providers from receiving grants from a broadband program if they manipulated access and speed based on content. The measure also would have required governments contracting for service to give preference to providers who certified allegiance to open-internet standards. “It uses the nexus of state support to protect the idea … of free internet,” said CO state Sen  Kerry Donovan, (D-Vail).