[UPDATED]
The Federal Communications Commission announced last week that its controversial move to roll back 鈥渘et neutrality鈥� rules will take effect next month, prompting a renewed round of concern from school and library advocates who have been fighting the plan for months.
In a statement, Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai described the move as a return to the 鈥渇ree and open internet鈥� that existed before 2015, when his Democratic predecessor led an effort to pass existing rules intended to ensure that internet service providers treat all content flowing over the internet equally.
鈥淥n June 11, these unnecessary and harmful internet regulations will be repealed and the bipartisan, light-touch approach that served the online world well for nearly 20 years will be restored,鈥� Pai said.
In a 52-47 vote in which three Republicans joined 49 Democrats, the U.S. Senate passed a measure May 16 to repeal the net neutrality rules recently approved by the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission. But the measure faces dim prospects in the House of Representatives.
Even if it fails in the House, supporters hope renewed public attention on the issue can generate enough pressure to spur Congress to agree on a legislative compromise.
In a conference call with reporters Monday, leaders of K-12 advocacy groups decried the FCC move as opening the door for higher prices, slower connectivity, and reduced innovation for schools and libraries.
鈥淲ithout net neutrality protections in place, the gaps between the schools who have access to resources and those who do not will only widen,鈥� said Tracy Weeks, the director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, in a statement.
The in a party-line vote in December. The primary effect was to reverse the commission鈥檚 2015 decision that reclassified broadband internet service providers as common carriers, subject to regulation by the FCC. Net-neutrality proponents said such oversight was necessary to prevent companies from throttling some content while prioritizing other content. Education advocates in particular were keen to ensure that schools and libraries didn鈥檛 relegated to internet 鈥渟low lanes.鈥�
But Pai, along with the Trump administration and many Congressional Republicans, argued that such fears were overstated, and that deregulation is necessary in order to encourage competition and innovation.
Even opponents of the move say schools and libraries are unlikely to notice any immediate changes come June 11. But long term, internet carriers could prioritize educational services with whom they have 鈥減ay-to-play deals,鈥� potentially stifling smaller educational content creators and leaving rural schools with limited options, said Democratic FCC Commissioner .
Photo: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai arrives for an FCC meeting to vote on net neutrality. --Jacquelyn Martin/AP
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