Why more and more US states are returning network neutrality - discuss the course of events
Last November, the U.S. Court of Appeals gave the state authorities a green light and allowed it to enact laws that return network neutrality to their territory. Today we will tell who is already developing such bills. We will also talk about what key industry figures think of the current situation - including FCC head Ajit Pai.
/ Unsplash / Sean ZBrief Background
In 2017, the FCC abolished the rules of net neutrality and forbade states to implement them locally. Since then, the public has not stopped trying to turn the situation back on track. In 2018, Mozilla sued the Federal Communications Commission, as, in their opinion, the abolition of net neutrality is contrary to the constitution, interferes with the work of providers and developers of web applications.Three months ago, the court ruled on this issue. The abolition of net neutrality was recognized as legal, but the judge ruled that the commission could not prohibit local authorities from introducing their own restrictions related to network neutrality. And they started using this opportunity.Which states return network neutrality
The relevant law was passed in California. Today it is one of the most stringent laws of its kind in the country - it has even been called the "gold standard." It prohibits providers from blocking and differentiating traffic from different sources.The new rules also imposed a ban on the policy of zero-rating (zero-rating) - Now operators can not provide users with access to content, excluding traffic. According to the regulator, this approach equalizes the capabilities of large and small Internet providers - the latter do not have the resources to attract new customers, offering to watch videos in an online movie theater or use a certain social network without restrictions.A couple of fresh materials from our blog on Habré:
In Washington, the law restoring network neutrality has been in force since June 2018. Authorities did not wait for the results of the Mozilla and FCC proceedings. There, operators can’t prioritize user traffic and take extra money for it. A similar law applies in Oregon, but it is not so strict - for example, it does not apply to Internet service providers working with government organizations.A similar initiative is being worked out by New York authorities. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to return net neutrality to the state in 2020. The new rules will be similar to the law passed by the California regulator - zero-rating will also be banned.. , Mozilla, FCC 22 — , .
FCC
The head of the FCC, Ajit Pai (Ajit Pai) did not support the policy of local authorities who want to restore network neutrality. He is convinced that the decision adopted by the Commission in 2017 benefited the industry and contributed to the development of network infrastructure. Since the abolition of net neutrality, the average Internet access speed in the country has grown, as has the number of connected households.But a number of experts connect these trends with the growing number of cities deploying their own broadband networks. Analysts at George Washington University say US Internet service providers are not investing in infrastructure development. Moreover, according toThe Free Press human rights group, investment over the past two years, on the contrary, has declined. For example, AT&T representatives said that in 2020 they plan to cut the corresponding budget by $ 3 billion. A similar statement was made at Comcast.
/ CC BY-SA / Free PressIn any case, local laws that return network neutrality at the state level are only half measures that can lead to an ambiguous situation in the telecommunications market. Internet providers will offer different rates for users of different states - as a result, some citizens will not receive the most favorable conditions for access to the Internet.Experts note that to resolve the situation is possible only at the federal level. And work in this direction is already underway. In April, U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill repealing the FCC decision and reinstating network neutrality. So far, the Senate has refused to vote for it, but the situation may change in the future.What we write about in the VAS Experts corporate blog:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/undefined/
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