Back in February 2015, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve “net neutrality,” a policy that’s kept internet service providers from letting certain websites and apps load faster than others. Today, the FCC is expected to repeal that policy.
The now Republican-led commission will vote on whether to roll back the 2015 decision, and it’s fairly certain the repeal will pass. You can watch the debate live on the FCC’s website today at 10:30 Am Est/7:30 Am Pst, but don’t expect any surprises.
Ajit Pai, whom President Trump appointed to run the FCC, was part of the commission under Obama. He was one of two Republican members at the time who voted against net neutrality (which passed 3-2 under former chairman Tom Wheeler). His thoughts on the policy remain negative.
After Trump’s election, Pai said in speech at the Free State Foundation’s gala luncheon that...
The now Republican-led commission will vote on whether to roll back the 2015 decision, and it’s fairly certain the repeal will pass. You can watch the debate live on the FCC’s website today at 10:30 Am Est/7:30 Am Pst, but don’t expect any surprises.
Ajit Pai, whom President Trump appointed to run the FCC, was part of the commission under Obama. He was one of two Republican members at the time who voted against net neutrality (which passed 3-2 under former chairman Tom Wheeler). His thoughts on the policy remain negative.
After Trump’s election, Pai said in speech at the Free State Foundation’s gala luncheon that...
- 12/14/2017
- by Jessica Klein
- Tubefilter.com
Updated with video: In June 2014, John Oliver's call to action on the subject of net neutrality during a Last Week Tonight telecast crashed the Federal Communications Commission’s comments system. Three years later, on Sunday, Oliver noted the FCC is back at the same old rannygazoo, trying to scrap net neutrality. And, again, Oliver is calling on viewers to mob the comments section of the FCC site. In 2014, Oliver noted the FCC was headed by Tom Wheeler, the guy who used…...
- 5/8/2017
- Deadline TV
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made good today on his vow to reinstate a rule that makes it easier for big TV station owners to grow bigger. In a 2-to-1 party line vote, the regulatory agency revived the so-called Uhf discount. It enables station owners to just count half of the viewers reached by Uhf stations in the calculation to determine when they hit the ceiling that limits them to reaching 39% of all households. In August, the FCC, under former Chairman Tom Wheeler, voted to…...
- 4/20/2017
- Deadline TV
The FCC today said it will reverse a requirement of last year’s Charter Communications-Time Warner Cable merger that would have seen Charter build out 1 million broadband deployments into locations already serviced by another provider. The “overbuild” requirement was instituted by Obama administration FCC chairman Tom Wheeler to encourage more competition in the high-speed Internet game, and was part of an agreement to build out access to 2 million new customers overall…...
- 4/3/2017
- Deadline TV
Donald Trump has appointed Ajit Pai as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the administration announced on Monday. Pai takes over for Tom Wheeler, who was appointed to the position by Barack Obama in November 2013. According to the Los Angeles Times, Wheeler’s term had not expired but the former chairman announced in December that he’d step down at the end of Obama’s term. “I am deeply grateful to the President of the United States for designating me the 34th Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” Pai said in a statement. Also Read: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to...
- 1/23/2017
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Donald Trump plans to nominate sitting Republican FCC commissioner Ajit Pai as the agency’s new chairman, Politico reported today, citing industry sources. If so he would replace outgoing Democrat Tom Wheeler, whose run as the head of the government body overseeing the communications industry officially ended today. Pai is an Obama nominee who has been an FCC commissioner for the past three-plus years. Pai met with Trump on Monday. He would front an agency currently…...
- 1/20/2017
- Deadline TV
Donald Trump plans to nominate sitting Republican FCC commissioner Ajit Pai as the agency’s new chairman, Politico reported today, citing industry sources. If so he would replace outgoing Democrat Tom Wheeler, whose run as the head of the government body overseeing the communications industry officially ended today. Pai is an Obama nominee who has been an FCC commissioner for the past three-plus years. Pai met with Trump on Monday. He would front an agency currently…...
- 1/20/2017
- Deadline
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Tom Wheeler announced on Thursday that he will step down on Jan. 20 — the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Wheeler was appointed by President Obama in 2013. The move is not wholly unexpected, as the incoming Trump administration will no doubt want to appoint their own head of the FCC. Wheeler has been involved in the media industry for the past three decades. Prior to joining the FCC, he was managing director at Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm that dealt with early internet protocol-based companies.He is currently the only person to be in.
- 12/15/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Barack Obama is still the president of the United States until Jan. 20, but Republican senators don’t want the Federal Communications Commission to do much of anything before Donald Trump takes over. In a Wednesday letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler — one day before the commission is set to meet — Sen. John Thune urged the agency not to take on any “complex, partisan, or otherwise controversial” initiatives, and said anything the FCC did or plans to do post-election day will get a closer look. “Any action taken by the FCC following Nov. 8, 2016, will receive particular scrutiny,” Thune...
- 11/17/2016
- by Matt Pressberg
- The Wrap
The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday in favor of new rules to ensure internet service providers do not invade customers’ privacy. The new rules will ensure that ISPs will not abuse their customers’ app usage, browsing history, mobile location data and other personal information that can be found on the internet. Providers must now obtain consent from customers before using or sharing that behavioral data with third parties. “It’s the consumers’ information,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told The Washington Post. “How it is used should be the consumers’ choice. Not the choice of some corporate algorithm.” Also...
- 10/27/2016
- by Brian Flood
- The Wrap
Update with MPAA and DGA statements: FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel doesn’t seem to be on board yet with chairman Tom Wheeler’s plan to help independent manufacturers sell cable set-top boxes. The FCC took a proposed vote on the matter off the agenda for today’s open meeting, but will keep it on the circulation list. The two FCC members, and fellow Democrat Mignon Clyburn — who make up a majority of the five-member commission — said in a statement they “are still…...
- 9/29/2016
- Deadline TV
The WGA West has broken ranks with Hollywood’s other major unions over FCC chairman Tom Wheeler's proposed compromise on new set-top box rules. The DGA, SAG-aftra, Iatse and the Musicians Union are all opposed to the proposed rule, which would require cable companies to make apps available to customers so that they can watch shows without having to rent cable set-top boxes. In a letter sent today to the chairmen of the House and Senate Select Committees on Commerce…...
- 9/15/2016
- Deadline TV
The good news is, within two years, you’ll no longer need to rent a set-top box from your cable company or satellite provider. The bad news is, you already don’t have to rent a cable box, and the FCC’s way of getting rid of the box could mean an increase in your internet bill. In a significant walk-back from previous proposals to “unlock the box,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is proposing a rule that would require all pay TV companies to offer a free app to their customers that would give them the same experience as using a set-top box — within the.
- 9/8/2016
- by Oriana Schwindt
- The Wrap
Updated with responses from MPAA and others: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has changed his stance somewhat in his effort to break cable and satellite companies’ control over set-top boxes. He now wants pay TV distributors to offer subscribers free, FCC-approved apps that they could download to the device of their choice to watch programming. This is what he’ll propose to fellow commissioners in a rule-making proceeding. That’s a shift from his previous plan that would have…...
- 9/8/2016
- Deadline TV
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had good news today for broadcasters who frequently lock horns with cable and satellite distributors in retransmission consent disputes. Regulators will not proceed with a proposal to change the rules governing these disputes, Wheeler said in a blog post. Cable and satellite companies supported the effort to revise the so-called "totality of the circumstances test" to determine whether station owners, cable and satellite operators are negotiating…...
- 7/14/2016
- Deadline TV
FCC chairman Tom Wheeler proposed retaining most rules limiting cross ownership of newspapers, radio and TV stations in the same market on Monday. He hopes a few tweaks can help make the rule coincide with the modern media landscape. The proposal includes keeping the existing rules barring companies, in most scenarios, from owning newspapers and a TV or radio stations in the same market with “slight modification,” according Reuters. The slight modifications are designed to help failed or failing newspapers or stations. Also Read: How Donald Trump Proves the Equal Time Rule Is a Joke The potential changes were explained in a summary of a.
- 6/28/2016
- by Brian Flood
- The Wrap
Tribune Media just nixed Dish Network’s proposal to resolve their carriage contract dispute via baseball-style arbitration. But it has a counterproposal: Let FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s office monitor the discussions with daily joint calls. “Doing so will make abundantly clear to the FCC and the public that it is Tribune Media, not Dish, that is negotiating in good faith to obtain an agreement at current market rates," Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman says. The broadcaster…...
- 6/16/2016
- Deadline TV
The FCC has followed chairman Tom Wheeler’s lead by voting to approve, with conditions, Charter Communications’ effort to buy Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The agency will release an order describing its reasoning and the conditions “in the coming days,” it said today. That leaves the companies waiting for an Ok from the California Public Utilities Commission, which is scheduled to meet May 12. Wheeler said last week he would circulate a petition to support…...
- 5/6/2016
- Deadline TV
The FCC has followed chairman Tom Wheeler’s lead by voting to approve, with conditions, Charter Communications’ effort to buy Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The agency will release an order describing its reasoning and the conditions “in the coming days,” it said today. That leaves the companies waiting for an Ok from the California Public Utilities Commission, which is scheduled to meet May 12. Wheeler said last week he would circulate a petition to support…...
- 5/6/2016
- Deadline
The Justice Department conditionally approved Charter’s takeover of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks on Monday, crimping the cable giant from moves that could harm online video companies’ access to content. The deal still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission, but the Department of Justice said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler would circulate an order on Monday seeking approval of the deal from the five-member commission with conditions. With such restrictions, the deals — which the Doj valued at $78 billion to take over Time Warner Cable and $10.4 billion to acquire Bright House — could embolden Charter to force programmers into terms that limit how much.
- 4/25/2016
- by Joan E. Solsman
- The Wrap
Exclusive: This is a big day for TV broadcasters, but it’s not due to anything you’ll see on the screen. Today’s the long-awaited deadline for them to tell the FCC whether they’re willing to relinquish airwave spectrum so it can be auctioned for wireless broadband — most likely to telcos led by At&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says the process will “align the use of the public airwaves to meet America's 21st century spectrum needs. If broadband…...
- 3/29/2016
- Deadline TV
The Federal Communications Commission stymied Time Warner Cable’s first attempt at a mega merger, but its second shot looks looks likely to score. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is expected to propose a draft order approving the $55 billion merger of cable companies Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable as early as this week, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal late Tuesday, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Conditions would likely focus on protecting online video competitively. Also Read: FCC Sniffs Around Cable Companies Over Web TV Restrictions (Report) One expected clause would prohibit Charter from...
- 3/16/2016
- by Joan E. Solsman
- The Wrap
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is planning to circulate a draft order soon approving Charter Communications’ $55 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable, The Wall Street Journal reported. The move could happen this week. The report says the federal greenlight would come with a number of conditions, notably targeting efforts to buoy online video as a competitor to cable TV. Citing sources, WSJ said one stipulation would prohibit Charter from including clauses in its pay-tv…...
- 3/16/2016
- Deadline TV
TNT made a major play in acquiring Artificial Intelligence, a new show that will revolve around an “escaped” AI, and the efforts to monitor, stop, prevent, understand whatever it may be trying to do. The show is written by Luc Besson (who may direct the pilot) and Bill Wheeler, and marks a new step in TNT’s growing effort to include… “out of the ordinary” programming.
With Lucy 2 and the massive-budget Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets already on his plate, this shift in gears may make for one of television’s most interesting new shows. Considering the rather open description, which could lead us through a unique vision of what it means to live with an AI “out there,” there’s no telling exactly where this show could take audiences.
Still, this one might really come down to casting, and like a lot of Luc Besson’s projects,...
With Lucy 2 and the massive-budget Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets already on his plate, this shift in gears may make for one of television’s most interesting new shows. Considering the rather open description, which could lead us through a unique vision of what it means to live with an AI “out there,” there’s no telling exactly where this show could take audiences.
Still, this one might really come down to casting, and like a lot of Luc Besson’s projects,...
- 3/2/2016
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
The Federal Communications Commission approved a new rule Thursday that would permit cable users to buy less expensive devices instead of using cable set-top boxes. According to CNBC, the measure passed by a 3-2 vote and is a major setback for cable operators as streaming services and on-demand providers are offering cheaper packages than traditional cable providers. The FCC says consumers typically pay $231 a year for their cable boxes. FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said the proposal will now give consumers the choice of buying a device on their own as opposed to paying a monthly rental fee from their cable company,...
- 2/18/2016
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
It’s hard to believe that anyone could have strong feelings about something as seemingly prosaic as a cable or satellite set top box. But the operators who provide them, and the Hollywood producers whose content goes through them, are livid today after the FCC voted to begin a process that eventually could open the market to independent consumer electronics manufacturers. Chairman Tom Wheeler is taking on a consumer issue that has bedeviled his agency for more than 20…...
- 2/18/2016
- Deadline TV
In a vote along partisan lines, the FCC today launched a rulemaking effort that could end cable and satellite companies’ near-total control over their customers’ set top boxes. It’s already kicked off a vigorous debate pitting tech companies and consumer advocates who support the change against pay TV distributors and Hollywood studios who oppose. Chairman Tom Wheeler says that competition will help to reduce consumer payments for boxes, and clear the ways for new ones…...
- 2/18/2016
- Deadline TV
Updated, with WGA West statement at bottom: Will set-top boxes become the next hot consumer electronics product? That’s FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s goal in a rulemaking proceeding announced today designed to break cable and satellite companies’ grip on the boxes subscribers now pay $20 billion a year to lease so they can watch programming. The proposal he’s circulating — ahead of a February 18 vote — would require pay TV distributors to let independent manufacturers create…...
- 1/27/2016
- Deadline TV
Every city will soon see a transfer of airwave spectrum from broadcast TV to wireless Internet providers, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said today at the CES consumer electronics confab — 84 days before a long-awaited auction takes place. Broadcasters have until Tuesday to say whether they’ll offer some of their local air rights for the auction. As an incentive, the FCC has offered to share some of the proceeds from the sale. “You’ll see a spectrum extravaganza,” Wheeler said…...
- 1/6/2016
- Deadline TV
NBC stations are “likely to participate” in the FCC’s airwave auction — taking spectrum now used by TV outlets and selling it to wireless broadband providers — Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told analysts this morning. The FCC recently released its opening bid prices for the spectrum. Chairman Tom Wheeler called it “a watershed moment” leading up to a December 18 deadline for stations to decide whether they want to sell some of their airwave capacity. This is one of the…...
- 10/27/2015
- Deadline TV
The FCC took another step today toward helping cable and satellite companies negotiate retransmission deals with broadcasters — something that Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed last month. Regulators voted to review their so-called "totality of the circumstances test" to determine whether station owners, cable and satellite operators are negotiating in good faith — something that Congress ordered the FCC to assess when there’s an impasse over retransmission consent terms…...
- 9/2/2015
- Deadline TV
Sinclair Broadcast Group’s blackout of Dish Network has come to an end, but negotiations between the two companies over carriage fees have not. The blackout that began Tuesday night and cut Dish customers off from access to 129 local stations in 79 markets was lifted Wednesday. The Sinclair-imposed blackout had been called “the largest blackout in U.S. television history” by Dish. The blackout was lifted after FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler called for an emergency meeting with the two companies. Also Read: Dish Network Renews FCC Complaint Against Sinclair Over 'Largest Blackout in Us TV History' “On behalf of more than 5 million consumers.
- 8/26/2015
- by Daniel Holloway
- The Wrap
2nd Update, 10:31 Am: FCC chairman Tom Wheeler is determined to get the more than 125 stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group back on Dish Network Asap. With the biggest blackout ever in effect as of last night, today he called both sides to the table to work out a new retransmission deal. “I have directed the Media Bureau to convene an emergency meeting with Dish and Sinclair to get to the bottom of the dispute and bring back local programming to consumers,” said…...
- 8/26/2015
- Deadline TV
Updated 11:48 p.m. Pt: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler called for an emergency meeting with Dish and Sinclair to resolve the ongoing blackout. Here is his statement in full: “Today, I have directed the Media Bureau to convene an emergency meeting with Dish and Sinclair to get to the bottom of the dispute and bring back local programming to consumers. The parties will have until midnight to file their views.” “The public interest is the Commission’s responsibility. We will not stand idly by while millions of consumers in 79 markets across the country are being denied access to local programming.
- 8/26/2015
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is about to hand a big victory to cable operators, and a loss to broadcasters, when they have a dispute over retransmission consent terms. He says in a blog post today that he plans to circulate an order that would enable a pay TV company to import a signal from an out-of-market station if a local broadcaster pulls its programming in a contract dispute. So if a major network affiliate goes dark on a cable or satellite service, the operator could…...
- 8/12/2015
- Deadline TV
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler recommended approval of At&T’s proposed $48 billion acquisition of DirecTV in a statement Tuesday. The statement was followed by an announcement that the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division will close its investigation into the merger. An order currently circulated to FCC commissioners for approval includes conditions that will “directly benefit consumers by bringing more competition to the broadband marketplace,” Wheeler said. Also Read: Diddy's Revolt TV Partners With At&T U-verse on Heels of 50 Cent's Racism Claims “The conditions will build on the Open Internet Order already in effect, addressing two merger-specific issues,” Wheeler said.
- 7/21/2015
- by Deborah Day
- The Wrap
Looks like At&T’s purchase of DirecTV is coming in for a landing at the FCC. "An order recommending that the At&T/DirecTV transaction be approved with conditions has circulated to the Commissioners,” Chairman Tom Wheeler says. The proposal includes conditions that “will directly benefit consumers by bringing more competition to the broadband marketplace.” If approved by the five-member commission, it would provide a “competitive high-speed fiber connection” to 12.5…...
- 7/21/2015
- Deadline TV
More than a year after At&T agreed to a $49 billion acquisition of DirecTV, chairman of the FCC Tom Wheeler has recommended the merger be approved, though only if certain concessions are met. The FCC said Tuesday that Wheeler circulated his order to the four other commissioners and that it is up to them to either approve of it or not. Wheeler's recommendation order stipulates that At&T should ensure that 12.5 million customer locations will have access to a high-speed fiber connection, which represents a build-out 10 times the size of the telecom company's current fiber-to-
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- 7/21/2015
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated: Mediacom’s CEO Rocco Commisso couldn’t have picked a better day to petition the FCC to rein in broadcasters’ retransmission consent price hike demands — as he also blasted Chairman Tom Wheeler for “refusing to get involved at the very time when consumers most need your help.” As fate would have it, Mediacom launched its campaign the same day research firm SNL Kagan updated and increased its retransmission consent forecast: It expects station owners to collect…...
- 7/7/2015
- Deadline TV
Net neutrality will become the law of the land on June 12. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday rejected telecom providers’ pleas to delay the FCC’s net neutrality order. In a two-page order, the court said the stay request was denied because “Petitioners have not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending court review.” The court, while not approving any delay in the order taking effect approved an expedited briefing schedule for deciding whether the FCC went too far in its order. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on Thursday called the decision.
- 6/11/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
Updated: Notice of At&T’s filing added at 4 p.m. Pt While expected legal challenges to the FCC’s net neutrality decision are flying fast in the wake of the formal publication of the new rule in the Federal Register on Monday, agency Chairman Tom Wheeler remains defiant. “Across the country, we see community after community stepping up to write their broadband future,” Wheeler said in a speech in Austin, Texas, to the Broadband Communities Summit on Tuesday. “The FCC is proud to be working with you to deliver the benefits of broadband to all Americans.” On Tuesday the National Cable and Telecommunications Association,...
- 4/14/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on Tuesday used a House hearing to repeatedly deny Republican accusations that the FCC reversed course on its plan for implementing net neutrality only at the insistence of the White House and President Obama. “You have asked whether there were secret instructions from the White House. The answer is, ‘No,’” Wheeler told members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Instead he said the FCC made its decision based on the public record. Wheeler didn’t deny that Obama’s Nov. 10 comments had an effect on the FCC. “Of course it did,” he said,...
- 3/17/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
In a landmark ruling on Thursday that will almost certainly face rigorous appeal, the Federal Communications Commission voted in favour of open access to the internet.
The 3-2 vote effectively reclassifies broadband internet as a public utility telecoms service – as opposed to an information service – and blocks carriers like internet service providers (ISPs) from charging higher rates in exchange for faster transmission speeds.
FCC chairman Tom Wheeler added that for the first time open internet rules would also apply to the mobile sector.
The decision marks the end of a year-long battle that drew an unprecedented four million public comments for consideration.
Netflix has been a vocal advocate of net neutrality throughout the process, arguing that without it, ISPs would have an incentive to allow congestion to build up in order to justify higher access costs to those content providers that could afford it.
The company issued the following statement: “The net neutrality debate is about who picks...
The 3-2 vote effectively reclassifies broadband internet as a public utility telecoms service – as opposed to an information service – and blocks carriers like internet service providers (ISPs) from charging higher rates in exchange for faster transmission speeds.
FCC chairman Tom Wheeler added that for the first time open internet rules would also apply to the mobile sector.
The decision marks the end of a year-long battle that drew an unprecedented four million public comments for consideration.
Netflix has been a vocal advocate of net neutrality throughout the process, arguing that without it, ISPs would have an incentive to allow congestion to build up in order to justify higher access costs to those content providers that could afford it.
The company issued the following statement: “The net neutrality debate is about who picks...
- 2/26/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just reached a historic decision. The agency approved to reclassify the internet as a utility in support of net neutrality under Title II of the Telecommunications Act via a 3-2 vote on February 26, 2015.
According to The Verge, the FCC’s decision sets up expectation that internet service providers (ISPs) will take “no actions that unreasonably interfere with or disadvantage consumers or the companies whose sites and apps they're trying to access.” The only slowing-down of internet speeds the FCC’s new order allows is for “reasonable network management,” as opposed to intentional business advantages (like how Comcast required Netflix to pay for more bandwidth).
“The internet is too important for broadband providers to be making the rules,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said at the vote, as reported by Re/code. “It’s too important to be left without rules and a referee on the field.
According to The Verge, the FCC’s decision sets up expectation that internet service providers (ISPs) will take “no actions that unreasonably interfere with or disadvantage consumers or the companies whose sites and apps they're trying to access.” The only slowing-down of internet speeds the FCC’s new order allows is for “reasonable network management,” as opposed to intentional business advantages (like how Comcast required Netflix to pay for more bandwidth).
“The internet is too important for broadband providers to be making the rules,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said at the vote, as reported by Re/code. “It’s too important to be left without rules and a referee on the field.
- 2/26/2015
- by Bree Brouwer
- Tubefilter.com
A sharply divided FCC on Thursday voted 3 to 2 to make net neutrality the law of the land, siding with Chairman Tom Wheeler’s suggestion and President Obama’s call to take strong action to preserve the Internet’s essential openness. The decision capped a decade-long fight by net neutrality supporters for government protections to prevent big companies from getting too much control of the Web. Much stronger than an initial proposal offered by Wheeler last May, the final rule bans Internet service providers from blocking, throttling or using paid prioritization to give favored content a competitive edge for either wired or mobile connections.
- 2/26/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
Capping a historic fight, the FCC is slated to enact net neutrality on Thursday, pleasing not only consumer groups, but entertainment producers and unions who say the move will preserve the Web as a growing alternative to cable for showcasing their works. FCC commissioners are expected to cast a 3-to-2 party-line vote to enact FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal that will ban Internet service providers from blocking, throttling or using paid prioritization to give their own content or that from favored providers any competitive advantage either for wired or mobile connections. Also Read: FCC Critics Try to Whip Up Internet Access.
- 2/26/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
Critics of the FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s net neutrality plan are mounting a fierce last-minute pushback as the commission’s Thursday vote approaches, even as supporters are ready to celebrate victory. In congressional hearings, speeches, op-eds and media interviews the critics are warning of Web price hikes ahead, a drawn-out legal fight and hinting the vote could have long-term negative repercussions for the agency. “The government will fu*k the Internet up,” billionaire investor Mark Cuban said last week at a Code/Media conference in Laguna Niguel, California. The critics are targeting not only Wheeler, but President Obama, who...
- 2/23/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
If you enjoy Netflix, PlayStation, Xbox, or any service that gets popular on the internet, you might want to follow this story closely. For a while now, Internet providers, the FCC, and content providers (Youtube, Netflix, etc....) have been in a battle over how to charge for content on the internet. Well the FCC has finally picked a side, and it seems to be going in consumers favor.
Getting a little background on the situation, Net Neutrality is simple. You pay for internet, you access features of the internet, and you are done. ISP (Internet Service Providers) want to change that. They want to create things like "Fast Lanes" where companies and end users need to pay more to access and provide services like Netflix. Basically this could lead into all sorts of trouble, especially for those of us that are gamers. In fact you can read more about this...
Getting a little background on the situation, Net Neutrality is simple. You pay for internet, you access features of the internet, and you are done. ISP (Internet Service Providers) want to change that. They want to create things like "Fast Lanes" where companies and end users need to pay more to access and provide services like Netflix. Basically this could lead into all sorts of trouble, especially for those of us that are gamers. In fact you can read more about this...
- 2/5/2015
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Dustin Spino)
- Cinelinx
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just taken a very public, very determined stance in terms of net neutrality. Chairman Tom Wheeler said he plans to reclassify internet service providers (ISPs) as common carriers under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.
Wheeler revealed on Wired how he wants to push rules to “preserve the internet as an open platform for innovation and free expression.” “I am submitting to my colleagues the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC,” he wrote. “These enforceable, bright-line rules will ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services.”
Should the FCC manage to reclassify ISPs as utilities, it would mean those providers couldn’t charge businesses and individuals higher fees for faster internet speeds. Wheeler’s proposed plan would also include mobile carriers, because he wants to ensure innovation without restrictions and the ability for internet users “to go where they want,...
Wheeler revealed on Wired how he wants to push rules to “preserve the internet as an open platform for innovation and free expression.” “I am submitting to my colleagues the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC,” he wrote. “These enforceable, bright-line rules will ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services.”
Should the FCC manage to reclassify ISPs as utilities, it would mean those providers couldn’t charge businesses and individuals higher fees for faster internet speeds. Wheeler’s proposed plan would also include mobile carriers, because he wants to ensure innovation without restrictions and the ability for internet users “to go where they want,...
- 2/4/2015
- by Bree Brouwer
- Tubefilter.com
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said on Thursday that he will propose strong open Internet guarantees next week that include bans on discrimination practices by Internet service providers (ISPs).
“I will propose new open Internet protections that do not allow blocking, throttling, paid prioritization and any other discriminatory practice, while also establishing a sustainable structure to address broadband issues in the future,” Wheeler told reporters at a news conference that followed an FCC meeting.
“The FCC is the public’s representative in the broadband revolution. We will use every tool in the agency’s toolbox to build a better broadband future...
“I will propose new open Internet protections that do not allow blocking, throttling, paid prioritization and any other discriminatory practice, while also establishing a sustainable structure to address broadband issues in the future,” Wheeler told reporters at a news conference that followed an FCC meeting.
“The FCC is the public’s representative in the broadband revolution. We will use every tool in the agency’s toolbox to build a better broadband future...
- 1/29/2015
- by Ira Teinowitz
- The Wrap
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