The FCC plans to repeal net neutrality this week — and it could ruin the internet

On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to repeal the network neutrality rules it put in place in 2015. With Republicans commissioners who oppose the rules outnumbering Democrats who favor them three to two, the outcome of the vote isn't in any doubt. 

I don't think discrimination will come in the form of blocking or throttling access to rival sites, as some net neutrality supporters fear. Instead, I think the telecommunications companies will basically start charging new fees and tolls. If you're a Comcast customer, you may have to pay extra to be able to stream video from Netflix or Amazon, rather than from NBC or Hulu, which Comcast part-owns. If you're a Verizon customer, you may get charged extra to access Google's news or finance sites rather than Yahoo's. 

But the loss of net neutrality is not only going to mean higher prices, it's likely to mean less choice. That's because it will allow broadband providers to impose new fees not just on you and me, but also on the internet companies that want to send their movies and websites our way.