Complete Story
12/21/2016
Net neutrality rule to get scrutiny from FCC Republicans ‘soon’
WASHINGTON — Republicans poised to control the Federal Communications Commission next month said they will revisit the Net neutrality regulation “as soon as possible,” laying out plans to address a rule they’ve opposed and that Democrats support.
The statement Monday from commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O’Rielly indicates that opponents of the rule such as top broadband providers AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. may not need to wait for Congress to grapple with the regulation that requires equal treatment of Web traffic. Web companies such as Netflix Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have supported the rule backed by President Obama.
The FCC’s Democratic chairman, Tom Wheeler, is leaving office as Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20, and his departure adds to vulnerability for the rule passed with only Democratic votes last year.
The Net neutrality rule forbids Internet service providers from blocking or slowing rivals’ content. Companies such as AT&T, Verizon, and the cable industry sued to block the rule, saying it gave the agency too much authority.
