Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
In Narrow Vote, FCC Moves To Kill Net Neutrality
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 15, 2014
Modified May 15, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Douglas Capraro/Gothamist
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 15, 2014
Modified May 15, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
We've been lamenting the projected death of net neutrality and a democratic Internet for some time now, and it seems said death is very nearly here. Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted 3 to 2 to advance FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal that would, among other things, permit broadband companies to charge sites for faster streaming service.
Wheeler, a Democrat and former telecomm lobbyist who was appointed as FCC Chairman by President Obama last May, has proposed allowing websites to strike "commercially reasonable" deals with broadband companies to get faster streaming lanes. This means that big sites—Netflix, Hulu, Fox News, what have you—can shell out to prioritize their traffic, while up-and-comers that can't afford to pay get left in the dust.
Considering that the Internet has thrived on being a democratic, open source of information, this proposal poses a huge problem, one that's even warranted flack from the very people who helped pass it through today. "I believe the process that got us to this rulemaking today is flawed. I would have preferred a delay. I think we moved too fast to be fair," FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, one of the three individuals who voted yes on the proposal, told Reuters.
And how did we get here? Well, it all stems from a Court of Appeals ruling in January decreeing that the FCC lacked the authority to require Internet service providers to treat Internet traffic equally. That ruling opened way for the FCC to announce it would regulate the Internet on a "case-by-case basis," and now they're doing some rule re-shaping.
In the weeks leading up to today's vote, critics have attempted to dissuade the FCC from pushing the proposal forward. Silicon Valley, for starters, is very unhappy. “The Chairman’s proposal to permit paid prioritization and discrimination will change the relationship between creators and investors,” Brad Burnham, a venture-capitalist with investment ties toTwitter, Tumblr and Zynga, wrote in a filing, according to the Washington Post. “I can’t imagine that we will risk our investors’ capital in companies that will now be vulnerable to the whims of a gatekeeper that has the technology and incentive to discriminate against our companies’ services.”
Earlier today, about 30 to 50 people gathered outside the FCC's office in Lower Manhattan to protest the proposal. "If we keep up the pressure we can get them [FCC] to back off," Michael Balau who used to work for Verizon and is a member of activist group MoveOn, told us. “We’re hoping to increase awareness” so that “there will be more support of a free Internet, the way it’s supposed to be." Representative Jerry Nadler was also on hand to offer his support, having sent a letter to Wheeler today urging him to drop the proposal. He writes:
What if Verizon decided to block access to YouTube? What if a cable company decided to throttle a competing service that attempted to provide video services over the internet? What if a smaller competitor with a great idea cannot afford to pay an additional fee for access to the internet’s fast lane? Again, innovation would suffer and ultimately consumers would be harmed.
The votes have been cast and the proposal still lives. We have now entered a public comment period: you can submit your thoughts on the survival of net neutrality electronically until July 15th. After that, the FCC will "decide whether to proceed with the rulemaking we proposed, issue a new or modified proposal, or take no action on the proposal."
Additional reporting by Douglas Capraro.
Tagged
fcc
Net Neutrality
obama
tom wheeler
original
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .