Decision By FCC Approves Two-tier Internet

In a 3-2 vote last week, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved proposals that will open the way to a two-tier Internet. The move would allow companies to pay broadband providers to speed up delivery of their data to customers, prioritizing this content over other traffic reports the World Socialist Website.

Critics express concern however that the proposal is a basic attack on “net neutrality”—the principal that all Internet traffic should be treated the same.

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The 100-page “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” adopted Thursday consists largely of a re-hash of the 2010 Open Internet Order, with legal amendments to satisfy recent court rulings. The new section of the proposals dealing with the “No-Blocking Rule” states that the 2010 rule “does not preclude broadband providers from negotiating individualized, differentiated arrangements… so long as broadband providers do not degrade lawful content or service below a minimum level of access.”

The FCC decision marks a significant step in the efforts by corporations, working closely with the government, to establish greater control over the content of the Internet and comes at a time where we are hearing stories about the NSA monitoring emails and the UK government allowing the NHS and HMRC to sell date and imprison citizens following secret courts with no legal representation.

Read the full report here