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TECHNOLOGYFriday 24 November 2017
What happens once ‘net neutrality’ rules bite the dust?
By TALI ARBEL In this Feb. 26, 2015, file photo, Federal Communication vacy to the Federal Trade that.”
AP Technology Writer Commission Commissioner Ajit Pai speaks during an open Commission, which already FAST LANES, SLOW LANES
NEW YORK (AP) — The hearing and vote on “Net Neutrality” in Washington. regulates privacy for inter- Sohn, however, suggests
Federal Communications net companies like Google there’s reason to worry
Commission formally re- Associated Press and Facebook. about more subtle forms
leased a draft of its plan BEST BEHAVIOR of discrimination, such as
to kill net-neutrality rules , consumers and competi- than were in the FCC’s Broadband providers are “paid prioritization.”
which equalized access to promising to be on their That’s a term for internet
the internet and prevented tion completely unprotect- Tuesday press release. For best behavior. Comcast “fast lanes,” where com-
broadband providers from said it doesn’t and won’t panies that can afford it
favoring their own apps ed.” instance, if companies like block, throttle or discrimi- would pay AT&T, Verizon
and services. During the last Republi- Comcast, AT&T and Veri- nate against lawful con- and Comcast for faster or
Now the question is: What can administration, that of zon decide to block a par- tent. AT&T said that “all better access to consum-
comes next? George W. Bush, FCC poli- ticular app, throttle data major ISPs have publicly ers.
“RADICAL DEPARTURE” committed to preserving That would leave startups
The FCC’s move will al- cy held that people should speeds for a rival service or an open internet” and that and institutions that aren’t
low companies like Com- any ISP “foolish” enough to flush with cash, like librar-
cast, AT&T and Verizon to be able to see what they offer faster speeds to com- manipulate what’s avail- ies or schools, relegated
charge internet compa- want on the internet and panies who pay for it, they able online for customers to slower service, said Co-
nies for speedier access to to use the services they merely need to disclose will be “quickly and deci- rynne McSherry, legal di-
consumers and to block sively called out.” Verizon rector at the Electronic
outside services they don’t preferred. But attempts to their policies for doing so. said that “users should be Frontier Foundation, a
like. The change also axes able to access the inter- digital-rights group. In turn,
a host of consumer pro- enshrine that net-neutral- The FCC also says it will pre- net when, where, and how startups would find it harder
tections, including privacy ity principle in regulation empt state rules on privacy they choose.” to attract investors, Sohn
requirements and rules bar- never held up in court — at and net neutrality that con- Some critics don’t put much said.
ring unfair practices that least until Wheeler pushed tradict its approach. Ve- weight on those promises, Michael Cheah, general
gave consumers an av- noting that many providers counsel of the video start-
enue to pursue complaints through the current rules rizon has noted that New have previously used their up Vimeo, said broad-
about price gouging. networks to disadvantage band companies will try
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says now slated for termination. York has several privacy rivals. For example, the to lay groundwork for a
his plan eliminates unnec- Pai’s proposals stand a bills pending, and that the Associated Press in 2007 two-tiered internet — one
essary regulation. But many good chance of enact- California legislature has found Comcast was block- where cash-strapped com-
worry that his proposal will ing some file-sharing. AT&T panies and services are
stifle small tech firms and ment at the next FCC meet- suggested coming up with blocked Skype and other relegated to the slow lane.
leave ordinary citizens internet calling services on To stay competitive, small
more at the mercy of cable ing in December. But there its own version of net neu- its network on the iPhone companies would need
and wireless companies. will be lawsuits to challenge trality rules should the fed- until 2009. to pony up for fast lanes
“It would be a radical de- them. eral versions perish. But others suggest fear of a if they could — but those
parture from what previ- MORE DETAILS The plan would leave com- public uproar will help re- costs would ultimately find
ous (FCC) chairs, of both strain egregious practices their way to consumers.
parties, have done,” said The formal proposal reveals plaints about deceptive such as blocking and throt- The view is different at
Gigi Sohn, a former ad- tling. “I’m not sure there’s the Information Technol-
viser to Tom Wheeler, the more details of the plan behavior and monitor pri- any benefit to them doing ogy and Innovation Foun-
Obama-era FCC chair- that,” said Sohn. “It’s just dation, a Washington,
man who enacted the net going to get people angry D.C., think tank funded by
neutrality rules now being at them for no good rea- Google and other estab-
overturned. “It would leave son. They don’t monetize lished tech companies. q
Facebook opens 2nd
office combating hate
speech in Germany
Employees of the Competence Call Center (CCC) work for the ESSEN, Germany (AP) — could see social network-
Facebook Community Operations Team in Essen, Germany, Facebook is adding 500 ing sites fined up to 50 mil-
Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. more contractors in Ger- lion euros ($59 million) if
many to review content they persistently fail to re-
Associated Press posted to the social media move illegal content within
site, after a new law came a week.
into force targeting online Critics say the law could
hate speech. force Facebook, Twitter
The company says the staff and YouTube to decide
will work for a service pro- what is legal or not.
vider called CCC at a new Together with an existing
office in the western city office in Berlin, Facebook
of Essen that was formally will have more than 1,200
opened Thursday. people reviewing posts in
German lawmakers ap- Germany by the end of the
proved a bill in June that year.q
