CEO DATELINE - Internet Association meets with FCC head as net neutrality fight heats up
CEO DATELINE - Internet Association meets with FCC head as net neutrality fight heats up
- April 12, 2017 |
- Walt Williams
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The Internet Association met with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai Tuesday to defend Obama-era net neutrality rules that may soon face an early death, CNN reported.
Net neutrality is the concept that Internet service providers cannot deliberately speed up or slow down user access to certain websites and online services. The FCC voted to regulate Internet providers as common carriers in 2015, a move that was cheered by net neutrality supporters.
Cable companies and other Internet providers blasted the decision, as did their Republican allies. The Trump administration is expected to attempt to roll back the new rules now that Pai—a Trump appointee—is FCC chair.
Amazon, Netflix and other companies that do business over the Internet support net neutrality, fearing a rollback of the rules could be used by service providers to charge exorbitant fees for faster access to certain services. The Internet Association represents many of the largest online businesses.
"The Internet industry is uniform in its belief that net neutrality preserves the consumer experience, competition and innovation online," the association said in the meeting, according to a filing with the FCC. "Existing net neutrality rules should be enforced and kept intact."
The meeting was the first face-to-face meeting Pai has held with the Internet Association, CNN reported. The chairman has previously met with telecom industry representatives to discuss how the rules are enforced. http://cnnmon.ie/2ptQ82R
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