Net Neutrality
By MacRumors Staff
Net Neutrality Articles
U.S. Justice Department Sues California for Reimposing Strict Net Neutrality Protections
On Sunday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that will bring back strict net neutrality protections to users in the state, four months after net neutrality officially expired in the United States thanks to the FCC's vote to repeal the regulations last December (via USA Today). Now that California has renewed net neutrality in the state, the United States Justice...
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Verizon Throttled California Fire Department's Data Speeds During Wildfire Response [Updated]
Verizon recently throttled the data used by a Santa Clara, California fire department that was in the midst of fighting wildfires, reports Ars Technica. Verizon's actions were outlined this week in an addendum to a brief filed by 22 state attorneys challenging the recent repeal of net neutrality rules. According to Santa Clara County Fire Department Fire Chief Anthony Bowden, the fire...
Net Neutrality Rules Officially End Today as Democrats 'Less Than 50 Votes' From Advancing Petition in the House
Net neutrality regulations officially expired in the United States earlier this morning, making today the first day of a post-net neutrality internet (via The New York Times). The expiration of the laws comes six months after the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of repealing net neutrality, a vote that has since faced intense backlash including multi-state lawsuits and a...
U.S. Senate Votes to Restore Net Neutrality, Now Expected to Face Major Hurdle in House
The United States Senate today voted to repeal the Federal Communication Commission's "Restoring Internet Freedom" order, which was enacted last December and reverses Obama-era Net Neutrality rules. Today's decision ended with a vote of 52-47 in favor of restoring Net Neutrality protections, with supporters totaling all 47 Democratic Senators, two independents, and three Republican Senators....
FCC Sets End Date for Net Neutrality on June 11 as Democrats Lead Vote to Block Repeal
The Federal Communications Commission gave a notice today that states Net Neutrality rules will officially end in the United States on June 11, 2018 (via Reuters). The FCC voted 3-2 in favor of repealing the rules last December, a repeal that was then made official with an entry into the Federal Register in February. Multi-state lawsuits soon popped up in efforts to block the rollback of Net...
Washington Becomes First State to Pass Its Own Net Neutrality Law in Defiance of FCC
Washington this week became the first state to pass a new law -- House Bill 2282 -- that restores and protects certain net neutrality rules, after the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of repealing net neutrality nationwide late last year. Washington state's new rules were signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee yesterday, and prevent internet service providers from blocking and ...
Net Neutrality Repeal Made Official With Entry Into Federal Register
It's been two months since the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of repealing Net Neutrality rules that were put in place by the United States government in 2015. That decision has been made official today by being entered into the Federal Register, and will become law starting April 23, 2018. Following the vote, lawsuits began to appear in efforts to block the rollback of...
AT&T Pledges Commitment to Open Internet Following FCC Vote to Repeal Net Neutrality
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson shared an open letter today on the topic of Net Neutrality, pledging that the company is "committed to an open internet" following the Federal Communications Commission's vote last month to repeal Net Neutrality. In the letter, Stephenson said that AT&T does not block websites, censor online content, or throttle, discriminate, and degrade network performance based...
New York Attorney General Leads Filing of Multi-State Lawsuit to Block Rollback of Net Neutrality
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman this afternoon announced that he and 22 other Attorneys General have teamed up to file a lawsuit aiming to stop the Federal Communications Commission's planned rollback of net neutrality. The multi-state lawsuit [PDF] asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review the FCC's repeal order, calling it arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse...
FCC Has Voted to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules
The Federal Communications Commission today voted to repeal Net Neutrality rules put in place by the United States government back in 2015 under the Obama administration (via Recode). Instead of classifying internet service providers as "common carriers" under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, the FCC has voted 3-2 in favor of rolling back to reclassifying ISPs as "information service"...
FCC Expected to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules in Vote Next Month
FCC chairman Ajit Pai today announced that his controversial Restoring Internet Freedom order is headed to vote on December 14. The order, proposed in May, would roll back the Barack Obama administration's classification of internet service providers as "common carriers" under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. As common carriers, internet providers are required to act as neutral ...
Apple Urges FCC Not to Roll Back Ban on Internet 'Fast Lanes' in Push for Net Neutrality
In a letter submitted during the Restoring Internet Freedom comment period, Apple has urged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission not to roll back regulations that prevent "paid fast lanes" on the internet. Image via Change.org. Apple logo added by MacRumors. Broadband providers should not create paid fast lanes on the internet. Lifting the current ban on paid prioritization arrangements...
U.S. Appeals Court Rules in Favor of FCC Net Neutrality Rules
A U.S. appeals court yesterday upheld landmark federal rules preventing internet service providers from obstructing or slowing down consumer access to web content (via Reuters). The backing for the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules came in a 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The outcome reaffirms the...
FCC Votes in Favor of Net Neutrality Rules, Classifies Broadband Service as a Utility
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted in favor by a 3-to-2 decision to enforce net neutrality rules that it claims will help protect freedom of expression and innovation on the Internet, reports Ars Technica. The FCC ruling classifies broadband service as a utility and prevents Internet providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering prioritized service through...
FCC to Propose Regulating Internet Service as a Utility for Stronger Net Neutrality Rules
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Tom Wheeler plans to submit a proposal that would allow the agency to regulate Internet service much like a public utility, reports The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The move would let the FCC introduce strong rules that could prevent Internet providers from creating "fast lanes" letting certain sites pay for faster speeds.It is...
BlackBerry CEO Says U.S. Government Should Force Apple to Expand iMessage to Other Platforms
BlackBerry CEO John Chen yesterday published a blog post adaptation of a letter in which he presses U.S. government officials to support not only net neutrality but also "application/content neutrality". In Chen's view, all apps and content should be available on all platforms, and he points specifically to Apple's iMessage and Netflix's streaming services as examples of discrimination against...