Today in the United States, network neutrality was enshrined in law

    This is a big win for the whole Internet.


    Today, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as a result of voting, approved the rules of network neutrality, which prohibit communication service providers from providing a faster level of access to certain resources for a fee. This decision was supported by many: from ordinary content producers to the founding fathers of the web .

    According to the approved standards, US Internet service providers do not have the right to slow down, for example, streaming video. They are also forbidden to create so-called fast lanes, fast channels that could provide faster access to some Internet resources for a fee. As a result of the vote, 3 to 2 Internet access service providers were identified as public communication lines (Title II of the Communications Act of 1934), which makes it possible to enact such rules.

    But to get access to the requirements for Title II, which determine the rules for telecom operators, today is unlikely to succeed. Most likely it will take weeks to publish. Several people should be blamed for this, presumably Ajit Pye and Mike O'Reilly, two members of the Republican Party who not only voted against, but also try to interfere with the process. The FCC will not publish the text until comments from all five representatives are received, and this will take time. The standards will enter into force 60 days after publication in the Federal Register .

    Over the past two years, network neutrality has been experiencing problems in the United States. He was helped by massive support from Internet users and the appeals of President Barack Obama . This is not an ultimate victory, now opponents of network neutrality can try to undermine the credibility and legitimacy of FCC decisions. With congressmen like Ted Cruzlaws are possible that deprive the authority of the American regulators of communication services.

    The principle of network neutrality or network neutrality determines that any Internet traffic should be processed with the same priority regardless of its nature and origin. Supporters saythat if network neutrality is not fixed at the legislative level, a variety of scenarios are possible when the tariffs of Internet access service providers charge an additional fee for full access to certain sites - what is today considered a free norm. For example, full access to YouTube or any other similar site may be a paid option in addition to the basic package. Also, without network neutrality, privacy, freedoms and the opportunity for fair competition are violated. Net neutrality is supported by dozens of organizations from many countries and several influential personalities, for example, web inventor Tim Berners-Lee . The law on network neutrality is already a reality in the European Union.

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    Should there be network neutrality in the laws of your country?

    • 93.4% Yes 1304
    • 1.7% No 25
    • 1.3% In my case, it is already legislatively fixed 19
    • 3.4% Difficult to answer 48

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