FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is planning to reintroduce net neutrality rules that were repealed under former President Donald Trump. This move follows the Democrats taking control of the FCC for the first time since President Joe Biden took office. The net neutrality proposal is set to be voted on in October. In 2017, the FCC voted to reverse the rules that prevented internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering paid fast lanes. Rosenworcel strongly opposed this repeal, stating that it placed the FCC on the wrong side of history.
The reinstatement of net neutrality rules has been encouraged by President Biden, who signed an executive order in 2021 urging the FCC to reinstate the rules established under former President Barack Obama in 2015. The reversal of these rules has faced legal challenges, including a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022, which stated that the FCC’s decision in 2017 could not block state action on net neutrality. Industry groups have since abandoned further legal challenges to California’s net neutrality law. With the Democrats now in majority control of the FCC, the effort to reinstate net neutrality rules is expected to gain momentum.
Chair Rosenworcel is expected to outline her plans in a speech, and the initial vote on the net neutrality proposal is set to take place in October. The reintroduction of net neutrality rules is significant as it aims to ensure equal and open access to the internet for all users, preventing discrimination by internet service providers.
