The FCC Ends the Year with a Rollback Bonus: Ask your ISP for Details this Christmas

Ho! Ho! Ho! and away net neutrality goes after years of bundle deals, along with an open and free internet for consumers.  What a way to make the Christmas season brighter?  Sure Santa will consider the FCC and FTC on his nice behavior list while broadband companies and advertisers remain on his naughty list.  Not sure how bright rolling back to Title I classification status of restoring the internet is, but we will soon find out.  But don’t look down aisle 5 at Walmart for the deal.

On Thursday morning, the police cars aligned the streets leading to the FCC before Santa could ever land his sleigh near.  Many people stood in the frigid cold temperature protesting the actions of restoring the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission to act when broadband providers engage in anticompetitive, unfair, or deceptive acts or practices.  A large portion of the American population does not have access to the internet not to mention the internet of things- while many believe their freedom to browse or surf the internet at their leisure will end.  “The FCC is not killing the internet,” Commissioner Carr said during the Open Meeting.  Thursday’s vote was to restore the longstanding, bipartisan light-touch regulatory framework that has fostered rapid Internet growth, openness, and freedom for nearly 20 years.

The rollback to Title I adopted by the Commission will protect consumers at far less cost to investment than the prior rigid and wide-ranging utility rules.  This framework will increase transparency to protect consumers, spur investment, innovation, and competition.  Will it stop consumers from having to purchase Microsoft Office separately when in need of a new computer?  It sure will be a savings for the consumer.

FTC acting Chair Maureen K. Ohlhausen issued a statement regarding the FCC stance stating “The FCC’s action today restored the FTC’s ability to protect consumers and competition throughout the internet ecosystem.  The FTC is ready to resume its role as the cop on the broadband beat, where it has vigorously protected the privacy and security of consume data and challenged broadband providers who failed to live up to their promises to consumers.”  Furthermore, Commission Clyburn expressed during the meeting “reclassification of broadband would do more than wreak havoc over net neutrality, it will also undermine our universal construct for years to come.”  Before ending her eulogy, Commissioner Clyburn stated her sentiment for the FTC, it is an agency with know, no, none, not, technical expertise and telecommunications.  The FTC is an agency that may or may not even have authority over broadband providers in the first instance.

What happens next for net neutrality?  Well, it will be best to locate your browser while you still have a connection search for Twitter and follow Commissioner Clyburn (@MClyburnFCC) to find out, because she plans to host a Town Hall on Twitter next Tuesday at 2 p.m. EST.  Maybe viewers will learn more about internet ownership, who really has control over what consumers have access to when it is a paid service.  Many sure don’t have control over how to count cloud space nor if the broadband speed is really running at that rate. Just maybe these Internet Service Providers can come to a common ground that consumers just want to save more of their cash this Christmas.