What an Internet Analyst Got Wrong About Net Neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission's plan to jettison its net-neutrality rules found a surprise supporter this week in respected technology industry analyst and blogger Ben Thompson.
In a blog post Tuesday, Thompson argued that he supports net neutrality, but thinks the FCC is right to repeal rules that ban broadband providers like Comcast and Verizon from blocking, slowing down, or otherwise discriminating against legal content.
The FCC's authority to enforce net neutrality comes from its designation in 2015 of broadband providers as "common carriers" under Title II of the Communications Act. That means they're treated similarly to telephone providers, although they are exempt from some of the more strict regulations that apply to phone services. The FCC now proposes to throw out nearly all the 2015 rules.
