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Net Neutrality - live updates: Facebook and Netflix attack FCC's decision to scrap rules that keep internet free and open

Key Points

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under the direction of President Trump, has voted to repeal Obama-era rules governing net neutrality.

The five-person board has voted in favour of ending net neutrality, a decision that could have a huge effect on the way the internet works.

Supporters of net neutrality say the move could open the door for internet service providers (ISPs) to charge customers more and dictate what people use the internet for.

Live Updates

The FCC looks set to completely change the way the internet works in the US, by killing off net neutrality.

Net neutrality prevents ISPs from blocking content or slowing down connections for people attempting to access certain sites, apps and services.
 
Without the rules, they won’t have to treat all internet traffic equally, and will be able to prioritise certain websites and services over others.
 
Supporters of net neutrality say this will result in ISPs carving the internet into "fast and slow lanes", and customers being charged more. 
The end of net neutrality could also have a huge impact on innovation and competition. 
 
For instance, ISPs that have their own video services could choose to slow down customers’ connections when they tried to use a competing service, such as Netflix.
 
Such a move would completely ruin the Netflix user experience and drive customers to faster sites, even if their content library wasn't as good.
 
“Consumers will benefit from greater investment in digital infrastructure, which will create jobs, increase competition, and lead to better, faster, and cheaper internet access — especially in rural America,” wrote FCC chairman Ajit Pai, who was appointed by Donald Trump, last month.
 
Here’s what some people believe internet packages in the US could look like in the future, if net neutrality is ended. 
 
Portuguese telecoms provider MEO has split its mobile plans in such a manner that customers need to pay for up to five addons, in order to be able to use a selection of popular apps that many people rely on every day without incurring heavy penalty fees.
A poll conducted by the University of Maryland this week has found that 82.9 per cent of Americans oppose the FCC’s proposal to reverse the net neutrality regulations, while 15.5 per cent favour it. 1.6 per cent either don’t know or refused to answer. 

The big meeting is set to get underway in 15 minutes.

“Welcome to the December 2017 meeting of the FCC,” says Ajit Pai, kicking off proceedings.

The Open Right Group’s Jim Killock believes that Europe will be next if the US votes to repeal the net neutrality rules today. 

“If the USA removes protection for net neutrality, Europe will be next,” he told the Independent. “European net neutrality protections are already insufficiently strong, and are already being abused by mobile providers selling data packages that favour sites like Facebook over their competitors. 
 
“Facebook doesn’t need extra help to dominate the market. The EU needs to step up and protect values of openness and competition that Trump’s government are busy abandoning.”

The FCC, by the way, is currently discussing the BLU Alert system, designed to warn people when law enforcement officials are under threat in the local area.

Republican commissioners Ajit Pai, Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr are expected to vote in favour of repealing the net neutrality rules today.
 
Democratic commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn, meanwhile, are expected to vote to keep the rules in place. 

The FCC is now discussing rural healthcare.

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King, Jr. made a last-ditch attempt to get today’s net neutrality vote cancelled. 
 
“Repealing the FCC’s net neutrality rules will undermine long-standing protections that that have ensured the open internet as a powerful and transformative platform of innovation and economic opportunity,” their letter to Ajit Pai reads.

“Good morning Mr. Chairman and commissioners. This declaratory ruling, report and order and order take several  actions to restore internet  freedom. First, the declaratory ruling  restores broadband internet access service to title I  information service  classification,” says  Deborah Salons from the Wireline Competition Bureau.

Commissioner Clyburn says: “Thank  you. I dissent. I dissent from this spun legally lightweight consumer-harming, corporate enabling, destroying internet freedom  order. I dissent because i am among the millions outraged, outraged because the FCC pulls its own  teeth advocating responsibility to protect the nations broadband consumers. Some may ask why are we witnessing such unprecedented ground swell of public support for keeping the 2015 net neutrality protections in place?

“Because the public can plainly  see that a soon to be toothless FCC is handing the keys to the internet, at one of the most remarkable, empowering, enabling inventions of our lifetime, over to a handful of multibillion-dollar corporations.”

She continues: “I do not believe that there are, five Republican members of congress went on the record in calling for  halt to today's vote. Why such a bipartisan outcry? Because the large majority of americans are in favor of keeping strong net neutrality rules in place. But the saddest part to the majority ignores the will of the people.”

“The results of throwing out net neutrality protections may not be felt, right away. Most folks will get up tomorrow morning, get ready for work and over the next week, wade through what would be hundreds of headlines. We will grow tired of those hundreds of headlines and grow tired of hearing from endless prognosticators and quickly emerge ourselves into a sea of holiday bliss.

“But what we have brought today will one day be a parent and by then, when you really wake up and see what has changed, I fear it may be too late to do anything about it because there will be no agency empowered to address your concerns.”
Commissioner Clyburn adds: “Particularly damning as what today's repeal would mean for marginalized groups like communities of color that rely on platforms like the internet to communicate.

“Traditional outlets rarely if ever consider the issues or concerns or their coverage. It was through social media, remember, that the world first heard about Ferguson Missouri because those legacy outlets did not consider them worthy enough for coverage until that hashtag started trending.”

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Immediately after the vote, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he intended to file a legal challenge against the vote. It is unlikely to be the last.

ISPs greeted the news warmly, but Senator Ed Markey a Democrat from Massachusetts said he would be looking to introduce an act in Congress calling for a review of the FCC decision. he labelled it a "historic mistake".