The Federal Communications Commission is set to approve net neutrality rules on Thursday, which will prevent broadband providers from throttling transfer speeds for select services, Reuters reports.
The move will reclassify broadband as ‘telecommunications services’ and see it handled in a similar way to traditional phone packages in the country. It will also allow the FCC to oversee deals between internet service providers (ISPs) and content companies like Netflix to ensure fairness for customers and competitors.
ISPs will not be allowed to throttle speeds selectively or enable faster service for partners who pay for the privilege.
The FCC previously sought to reclassify internet access as a utility last January (as did President Obama last November), but was stopped by a federal appeals court ruling in a case brought by Verizon.
The commission’s chairman Tom Wheeler put the latest proposal forward earlier this month. Unsurprisingly, it’s received support from companies including Google, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter over the past few weeks.
➤ Tougher Internet rules to hit cable, telecoms companies [Reuters]
Image credit: Free Press
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