Net neutrality rules poised for a comeback under new FCC plan

Network throttlers and content blockers, beware! The controversial net neutrality rules favored by liberals could make a resurgence, thanks to a freshly instated Democratic majority at the Federal Communications Commission.

Under a proposal announced Tuesday, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel recommended reviving the rules that “treat broadband internet service as an essential service for American life...on par with water, power, and phone service; that is: essential.” They would mandate that internet service providers may not interfere with how content is transmitted over the internet. This means that “fast lanes that favor those who can pay for access” would be prohibited, according to an agency fact sheet.

The proposal would also restore what’s known as Title II authority over the internet, effectively reextending the FCC’s domain over ISPs that was relinquished during the Trump administration.

A previous version of the rules took effect during the Obama administration, but Trump-era FCC Chairman Ajit Pai overturned them in 2017.

In remarks at the National Press Club, Rosenworcel said the rules are aimed at ensuring the internet is “fast, open, and fair for consumers everywhere.” They’ll also steer away from a “patchwork” of state regulations that have cropped up in the wake of Pai’s net neutrality repeal, according to the agency fact sheet, which pointed to California’s law enforcing open-internet principles in the state.

The FCC will vote on whether to move ahead with the proposed rulemaking on Oct. 19.

The announcement comes a day after FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, was sworn into her new post, breaking a years-long deadlock of two Democrats and two Republicans at the agency. Despite the victory for her party, Rosenworcel tempered her Tuesday remarks with a note of caution.

She called for civility, saying the net neutrality-related death threats Pai received in 2017 were “completely unacceptable.” She also alluded to Gigi Sohn’s failed agency nomination as “a dark effort to tear down a pro-net neutrality nominee for the agency.”

“So make some noise. Raise a ruckus. But keep it in the lines,” she said.