In a three to two vote today, the rules proposed by Chairman Tom Wheeler have been passed forward for a public comment and review period.
Amid a vocal backlash from the public and a number of large internet based companies, the original proposal which grants carriers and ISP’s the ability to negotiate in private individual and different rates for every company wanting to do business online, was altered slightly. However the core “Fastlane” propsal remained in place, effectively ending Net Neutrality.
“There is one internet. It must be fast. It must be robust. It must be open.” said Wheeler prior to the vote.
The ultimate irony considering these new rules would allow carriers to fragment how traffic is sent to their customers, forcing companies like Google, Netflix, Amazon, and others to pay extra to reach people who themselves are already paying the highest rates for broadband access in any developed nation.
Today’s vote does not mean the rules will be implemented, but that we now enter a four month session of public review and comment. Considering the public’s recent attitude towards this rule change, we can imagine that the comment’s will largely be negative. That didn’t seem to prevent the FCC from moving forward with these Fastlane rules however, where even Congressional Republicans were against the policy. If it appears Fastlane starts to become a reality, it’ll become a singular talking point in reclassifying the internet as “Common Carrier” utility, something businesses and conservatives absolutely don’t want to see happen.
The public can comment on the proposed rule changes on the FCC site here.