Online innovation at risk following FCC's repeal of net neutrality rules

[Commentary] The vote by the Federal Communications Commission repealing its 2015 network neutrality rules will have an especially negative impact on online innovation.

Say you've got a great idea for an online service that delivers food from local grocery stores and you are looking for investors. Your competitors are, among others, Amazon, WalMart and Fresh Direct. Without the protection that net neutrality offers, broadband providers can charge you and your competitors for fast lanes. Big companies can afford that, but can your start-up? Try telling your investors that the first thing you need to do to succeed is negotiate fast lane agreements with every broadband provider in the country. They'll probably show you the door. 

The 2015 network neutrality rules worked - they allowed for online innovation to flourish, which in turn helped broadband providers make record profits. Yet this FCC has put its thumb on the scale in favor of the powerful and consolidated broadband industry.

[Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy. Previously, she served as counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler]