RIP Internet! The FCC decides to repeal Net Neutrality rules in the US

The concept of the open and free internet is dead- as of now. In a historic judgment, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved to remove the older net neutrality rules that prohibited broadband providers from blocking or throttling websites and offering paid fast lane.

FCC's chairman Ajit Pai defended the repeal before the vote. He said the rollback of the rules would eventually benefit consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer them a wider variety of service options. His two fellow Republican commissioners also supported the change, giving them a 3-to-2 majority. Pai said, "We are restoring the light-touch framework that has governed the internet for much of its existence.” He called claims that the move would kill the internet “outlandish”.

The new rules don't prevent internet providers from doing anything. They can throttle, block and prioritize content if they wish to. The only real rule is that they have to publicly state that they are going to do it.

The meeting, held amid protests online and in front of the FCC headquarters in Washington, was evacuated before the vote for about 10 minutes due to an unspecified security threat and resumed after law enforcement with sniffer dogs checked the room.

The FCC said the rules would take effect after a few months after the White House Office of Management and Budget finally approves them. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat said that he will lead a multi-state lawsuit to challenge the reversal.

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— Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) December 14, 2017