Killing Net Neutrality Was Even Worse Than You Think

The Federal Communications Commission's Orwellian-named “Restoring Internet Freedom” order all-but obliterated the FCC’s authority to hold broadband internet access providers accountable for any number of bad behaviors. Instead, it dumped most telecommunications oversight on a Federal Trade Commission that experts say lacks the resources or authority to police the sector and punish bad behavior. With little broadband competition and weakened regulators, big ISPs can now get away with pretty much anything, provided they’re modestly clever about it. For giant telecom monopolies like AT&T and Comcast, the repeal is working just as they intended. “The fight over net neutrality has always been about gutting the FCC’s legal authority to protect consumers and promote competition,” said Gigi Sohn, a former FCC lawyer and advisor who helped craft the agency’s original 2015 net neutrality rules. Sohn and other experts say that thanks to corruption and revolving door regulators, lobbyists have built a system where U.S. telecom consumers are all but powerless in the face of predatory monopolies. The internet may not have immediately imploded after net neutrality was repealed, but that doesn’t mean all is right with the online world.