‘The end of net neutrality as we know it’ as Trump ends Obama’s protections
Washington — On Tuesday, the head of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unveiled plans to scrap landmark 2015 rules intended to ensure a free and open internet, moving to give broadband service providers sweeping power over what content consumers can access. FCC chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican appointed by US President Donald Trump in January, said the regulatory agency will vote at a December 14 meeting on his plan to rescind the so-called net neutrality rules championed by former, Democrat president Barack Obama, which treated internet service providers like public utilities. Pai said the action would remove heavy-handed internet regulations. Critics said it would let internet service providers give preferential treatment to some sites and apps and allow them to favour their own digital content. The Obama-era rules, aimed at giving consumers equal access to web content, barred broadband providers from blocking or slowing down access to content or charging consumers mor...
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