The FCC has confirmed it will vote in December on a proposal from chairman Ajit Pai to reform the net neutrality rules in the US. Pai said that under the new rules, ISPs would only need to be transparent about their practices for managing internet connections, and it would be up to the Federal Trade Commission to enforce consumer protection and competition rules.
Pai's full proposal will be released on 22 November, a day before the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. The full FCC board will vote on the plan 14 December.
In May, the FCC approved Pai's proposal to review the Open Internet order passed under the previous US government in 2015, which laid down a number of rules for ISPs aimed at ensuring net neutrality. A public consultation was held on the plans during the summer.
In line with calls from the telecom industry, the chairman wants to end the so-called Title II classification of broadband services under the Open Internet order. This re-classified broadband as a utility service, giving the FCC the power to impose stricter regulations. The FCC's public consultation also looked at whether the 'bright line' rules of the Open Internet order should be maintained. These specifically ban the practices of throttling or blocking internet connections according to the application, content or device used or offering paid prioritisation of certain traffic, for both mobile and fixed broadband providers.
Pai said he wants to return oversight of the internet to the FTC, which is the main consumer protection regulator and privacy watchdog in the US. Under his proposal, "the FCC would simply require Internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate," Pai said in a statement.
