In December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.) voted to repeal net neutrality rules adopted in 2015; the effect of that F.C.C. vote came on June 11. The net neutrality regulations had essentially classified the internet as a public utility and had three core components:

• Blocking: Internet service providers could not discriminate against any lawful content by blocking websites or apps.

• Throttling: Service providers could not slow the transmission of data because of the nature of the content, as long as it was legal. 

• Paid Prioritization: Service providers could not create an internet fast lane for companies and consumers who paid premiums, and a slow lane for those who didn’t. 

Ajit Pai, chairman, FCC, opposed the regulations, in part because they “impeded innovation.”

“In 2015, the FCC stripped the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] - the nation’s premier consumer protection agency - of its authority over internet service providers. This was a loss for consumers and a mistake we have reversed,” Paj has said.

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly visited Michigan in June. In an interview with local radio about the issue, he said the impact has been “zero.”

“The same exact experience consumers had before the rules were in place, they are having today,” O’Reilly shared. “It should have no impact on consumers.” O’Reilly said the situation would continue to be monitored.

The impact of the reversal remains a concern for many consumer advocates who argue that broadband providers may begin selling the internet in bundles, such as a “social media package” to access sites like Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps the most widely shared concern is pay-to-play deals, with fast internet available only to large internet and media companies and affluent households, creating an unfair playing field.

Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters have both expressed concerns about net neutrality reversal.

Senator Stabenow has described reversal as an “unfortunate turn of events in our economy.”

“Internet access isn’t a luxury for people in Michigan; it’s a necessity,” Senator Stabenow shared in February.

Senator Peters has also expressed his disappointment in the reversal ruling and is concerned about divisions in access to information based on a consumer’s socio-economic status.

“We live in an increasingly interconnected world, and access to an open internet is more vital than ever for Michigan small businesses, startups, students and job-seekers,” he said. “Part of the beauty of the internet was its equalizing factor, is that when you got on the highway of the internet, you all had the same speed."

In May, both Senators voted for a resolution to reinstate net neutrality rules. The resolution passed the Senate by a margin of 52-47.

The issue of net neutrality is one that a number of CMF members have weighed in over the years. In 2015, Alberto Ibargüen, president, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation were two of three authors of an opinion piece specifically on net neutrality.

“Philanthropy cannot sit on the sidelines in the battle over net neutrality,” they wrote. “Key public-policy decisions being made in the coming years will determine whether our digital public square is accessible for decades to come.”