FCC faces strong opposition from the US telecom sector in its efforts to reinstate net neutrality

The United States Federal Communications Commission and the US telecom industry are at loggerheads after the former's plan to implement the net neutrality rules that had been in place during Barack Obama's Presidency tenure. The net neutrality rules were repealed in 2017, under Donald Trump's tutelage and the plan to introduce control over broadband networks was shelved back then. 

However, the FCC has decided to take a vote on the final rule during their 25th April meeting. This move has drawn significant opposition from the major players within the telecom industry since it would not enable service providers to block or provide fast traffic. Several heavyweights in the form of AT&T, Verizon and Comcast have joined hands to oppose the imposition of the net neutrality rules claiming it to be a regressive move. 

The US Telecom Industry has warned the FCC of the ill effects of reinstating net neutrality 

While the telecom industry has strong reservations of its own, United States President, Joe Biden saw the implementation of net neutrality as a key goal. The 46th Democratic US Prez had even signed an executive order to bring it back from the shelves in 2021. Until now, the Democrats did not have a majority amongst the 5-member FCC team to enable them to repeal the 2017 ruling. 

FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel strongly advocates net neutrality and believes it would bring about a big change in broadband services across the United States. “Net neutrality refers to the principle that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites,” Jessica Rosenworcel said, as reported by Reuters. 

"After the prior administration abdicated authority over broadband services, the FCC has been handcuffed from acting to fully secure broadband networks, protect consumer data, and ensure the internet remains fast, open, and fair," Rosenworcel said of the latest plan. "A return to the FCC's overwhelmingly popular and court-approved standard of net neutrality will allow the agency to serve once again as a strong consumer advocate of an open internet." 

While these have been the arguments made by the FCC to champion the reinstatement of net neutrality in the country, the Internet & Television Association, NCTA have made a strong statement. The Association featuring the big broadband service providers claimed that such a move would considerably reduce investment, which would hinder the expansion of broadband services in rural areas. The FCC looks all set to take a landmark decision on the 25th of April and it seems the complaints from the US telecom industry would be falling onto deaf ears. 

Explore More Topics: 

• Tesla Stocks Take A Hefty Plunge as Company Reports 8.5% Drop in deliveries
• Taiwan Earthquake Shakes Global Semiconductor Industry
• Facebook Shockingly Accused of Sharing User's Messages with Netflix
• Meta’s WhatsApp and Apple Services Outages Reflect Digital Vulnerabilities