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Radio News: Republicans have a new version of net neutrality

Dec 19, 2017 10:50 pm
Ars Technica reports that now that the Federal Communications Commission has killed off net neutrality, Republicans in Congress are readying a replacement. And while the "Open Internet Preservation Act" might sound benign, the bill would not stop Internet service providers from charging websites or online services for prioritization. So Netflix or YouTube or Spotify may get charged more, and those costs will eventually get passed onto consumers. Blackburn's bill would define broadband Internet access as an "information service." Under net neutrality, the internet was considered a utility. This allows Republicans to further deregulate the Internet. And states won't be allowed to pass their own version of net neutrality, if the bill passes. "Blackburn's bill would explicitly allow Internet providers to demand new fees from small businesses and Internet users, carving up the Web into fast lanes and slow lanes," Fight for the Future Campaign Director Evan Greer said.