In huge news for, well, the internet at large, the FCC announced plans today to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality rules that were rescinded under the Trump Administration.
Those regulations, initially adopted in 2015, prevented major internet providers like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon from blocking or slowing down certain websites, or from charging more for faster access. As originally implemented, the FCC would treat internet providers as "common carriers" under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.
It was repealed, however, under Donald Trump’s presidency, and officially ended in April 2018. But now, it looks like those regulations could be in place once again under the Biden Administration, as Democrats regained majority control over the FCC on Monday.
In a speech announcing the FCC’s proposal to bring back net neutrality, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said (via Reuters) the vote to roll back the rules “put the agency on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the public.”
“Today we begin a process to make this right,” she continued.
The proposal is largely similar to the one passed in 2015, treating internet providers as essential telecommunications entities. But, as an FCC official told Reuters today, it would also grant the FCC the ability to block authorization of websites that could be controlled by foreign adversaries: "This is a national security loophole that needs to be addressed,” Rosenworcel said.
Rosenworcel asked for an initial vote to take place on Oct. 19. Still, subsequent votes and comments would still have to follow, meaning that it will still likely be awhile since net neutrality is restored completely.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
