*PDF Download: In 60 Seconds – Net Neutrality
The Internet has always been free and open. It developed independent of heavy-handed government regulations for decades with little or no evidence of anti-competitive, anti-consumer behavior.
Here’s the issue of net neutrality in 60 seconds:
What’s at Stake:
The Internet has always been free and open. It developed independent of heavy-handed
government regulations for decades with little or no evidence of anti-competitive, anti-consumer behavior.
Bad Solution: Net Neutrality regulations
In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the Open Internet Order. It:
- Reclassified broadband Internet access service as a utility under Title II of the
Communications Act of 1934 and shifted oversight authority from the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) to the FCC. - Opened the door for new regulations to be imposed on Internet providers (Net Neutrality).
Specifically, the Order prohibited companies from:- Blocking access to legal content, applications, and services;
- Throttling or impairing lawful Internet traffic;
- Offering paid prioritization or preferential treatment to their content or services (also
known as “Internet fast lanes”).
Net Neutrality resulted in:
- Stifled innovation amid new regulatory burdens.
- Reduced broadband expansion: Building infrastructure to expand to rural areas is expensive and Net Neutrality made it more expensive.
- Broadband network investment declined by $3.6 billion— more than 5 percent, the first
time investment declined outside of a recession. - Small providers delayed or reduced network expansion/services.
- Broadband network investment declined by $3.6 billion— more than 5 percent, the first
A Better Path Forward: No Net Neutrality Regulations
In 2017, the FCC passed the Restoring Internet Freedom Order to start repeal of Net Neutrality.
- U.S. Internet speeds jumped from 12th to 6th fastest in the world.
- Download speeds increased nearly 40 percent; upload speeds jumped over 20 percent.
- In one year, the number of Americans lacking basic high-speed connections fell over 25
percent, from 26.1 million to 19.4 million.
The Internet should be free, open and accessible to all, but Net Neutrality regulations run
counter to this goal.
Addressing Concerns:
