04/05/2018

House Hearing to Focus on Internet Fast Lanes

Internet fast lanes were banned prior to net neutrality's repeal

On April 17, 2018, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the issue of internet fast lanes, which had been banned before the repeal of net neutrality rules last December. The net neutrality rules were put in place to force internet providers like Verizon and Comcast to treat all web traffic equally, but the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission (FCC) believed the rules unfairly treated internet providers like a traditional utility service and voted to repeal net neutrality to restore a more favorable climate for investment and capitalism.

While most congressional Republicans supported the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality, some are pushing for a bipartisan net neutrality bill that would end the regulatory uncertainty facing the telecommunications industry. A committee spokesperson told The Hill this week that committee Republicans also want to address the issue of paid prioritization, the practice of charging web services for faster internet speeds.

Net neutrality supporters and Democrats want to make net neutrality a campaign issue in this fall’s midterm elections. Given this, it is not clear whether they would support a bipartisan solution.

“The current leadership of the FCC has proven that it cannot be trusted to serve the public interest,” said Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ). “Most notably, the agency has ignored its statutory duty and the call of the American people by destroying our net neutrality protections. Net neutrality safeguards our American values by empowering small businesses, creating new jobs and ensuring free speech online.”

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.