Net Neutrality Tops To-Do List for FCC Democrats in Biden Era

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to move to restore net neutrality rules after President-elect Joe Biden takes office, undoing the agency’s deregulation of the broadband industry during the Trump administration. The key regulatory underpinning would be a reclassification of broadband as a service under Title II of the Communications Act. That reclassification would enable the agency to reinstate rules requiring that companies like AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. treat all internet traffic equally, and take other actions to regulate broadband providers’ business practices amid the pandemic. Internet service providers “should plan for their broadband service to be regulated as a Title II service via Obama-era-like net neutrality rules,” Matt Schettenhelm, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. How fast Democrats can move to restore broadband as a Title II service and enact new net neutrality rules will depend on how quickly Democrats can install a majority at the FCC.