Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Bye forever, net neutrality

https://thinkprogress.org/bye-forever-net-neutrality-21ddd89127cc#.a9sf739l7
"To help advance his agenda, Trump has brought on Jeff Eisenach, who worked on campaign telecom policy for the Reagan administration, and Mark Jamison, a former Sprint lobbyist. Eisenach was part of former President Ronald Reagan’s Federal Trade Commission and FCC transition teams. The resulting FCC agency repealed the Fairness Doctrine, which required media to portray contrasting perspectives in news coverage of public issues. Jamison, who also teaches at the University of Florida, has staunchly opposed the FCC’s policies to improve internet access and options in low-income and rural areas. The appointments come after net neutrality cleared a major legal challenge from telecom companies earlier this year. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to uphold the FCC’s authority to impose the net neutrality regulations, which ban internet providers from blocking or slowing access speeds. At the time, current FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler called the ruling “a victory for consumers and innovators who deserve unfettered access to the entire web, and it ensures the internet remains a platform for unparalleled innovation, free expression and economic growth.” Following that decision, Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai, who has been outspoken about his position against the net neutrality rules, said, “I hope that the parties challenging them will continue the legal fight.” And with a Trump administration, he may just get his wish."