Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Tuesday 12 June 2018
Your internet use could change as 'net neutrality' ends

By MAE ANDERSON spotlight is on net neutral-
NEW YORK (AP) — Your ity, could lead to a public
ability to watch and use relations backlash.
your favorite apps and ser- Companies are likely to
vices could start to change start testing the boundaries
— though not right away over the next six months to
— following the official de- a year. Expect to see more
mise Monday of Obama- offers like AT&T's exemption
era internet protections. of its DirecTV Now stream-
Any changes are likely to ing TV service from custom-
happen slowly, as compa- ers' mobile data limits. Rival
nies assess how much con- services like Sling TV and
sumers will tolerate. Netflix count video against
The repeal of "net neutrality" data caps, essentially mak-
took effect six months after ing them more expensive
the Federal Communica- to watch.
tions Commission voted to Although the FCC issued
undo the rules, which had a report in January 2017
barred broadband and saying such arrangements,
cellphone companies from known as "zero rating," are
favoring their own services probably anti-consumer,
and discriminating against the agency did not require
rivals such as Netflix. companies to change their
Internet providers such as In this Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017 file photo, Demonstrators rally in support of net neutrality outside a practices right away. After
AT&T, Verizon and Com- Verizon store in New York. President Donald Trump
cast had to treat all traffic Associated Press appointed a new chair-
equally. They couldn't slow man to the FCC, the agen-
down or block websites The change comes as over, though. Some states preferential treatment to cy reversed its stance on
and apps of their choos- broadband and cellphone are moving to restore net certain websites and ser- zero rating and proceeded
ing. Nor could they charge providers expand their ef- neutrality, and lawsuits are vices, including their own. to kill net neutrality.
Netflix and other video ser- forts to deliver video and pending. Also, the Senate However, companies are Critics of net neutrality, in-
vices extra to reach view- other content to consum- voted to save net neutral- likely to drop these self- cluding the Trump admin-
ers more smoothly. The rules ers. ity, though that effort isn't imposed restrictions; they istration, say such rules im-
also barred a broadband With net neutrality rules likely to become law. will just wait until people peded companies' ability
provider from, say, slowing gone, AT&T and Verizon For now, broadband pro- aren't paying a lot of at- to adapt to a quickly evolv-
down Amazon's shopping can give priority to their viders insist they won't do tention, said Marc Martin, ing internet.
site to extract business con- own movies and TV shows, anything that would harm a former FCC staffer who is Martin said broadband
cessions. while hurting rivals such the "internet experience" now chairman of commu- providers probably won't
Now, all that is legal as long as Amazon, YouTube and for consumers. Most cur- nications practice at the mess with existing services
as companies post their startups yet to be born. rently have service terms law firm Perkins Coie. Any like Netflix, as that could
policies online. The battle isn't entirely that specify they won't give changes now, while the alienate consumers.

Science panel says the

FAA is too tough on drones

unmanned aircraft without our efforts," he said. should meet requests for
considering their potential The academies leaned drone operations approv-
to reduce other risks and on a 14-member commit- als by saying, "How can we
save lives. tee whose members come approve this?"
For example, they say, mostly from universities and The board was critical of
when drones are used to research groups but also FAA culture even while ac-
inspect cell-phone towers it the aerospace industry, in- knowledging that the FAA's
reduces the risk of making cluding a representative of approach has helped
In this April 29, 2018, file photo, a drone operator helps to retrieve workers climb up the tow- Boeing's drone business. make manned aviation
a drone after photographing over Hart Island in New York. ers. The high-level science safer.
Associated Press The study was requested by board accused the FAA of "The committee conclud-
Congress last year. making "overly conserva- ed that 'fear of making a
By DAVID KOENIG Monday that federal safety In a statement, an FAA tive risk assessments" that mistake' drives a risk cul-
AP Business Writer regulators are often "overly spokesman said the agen- have slowed beneficial ture at the FAA that is too
Science advisers to the fed- conservative" and need to cy was working to safely commercial uses of drones. often overly conservative,
eral government say safety balance the overall ben- speed the integration of "In many cases, the focus particularly with regard
regulators should do more efits of drones instead of drones into the airspace. has been on 'What might to (drone) technologies,
to speed the integration focusing only on their risk to The science board's rec- go wrong?' instead of a ho- which do not pose a direct
of commercial drones into airplanes and helicopters. ommendations match the listic risk picture" that con- threat to human life in the
the nation's airspace. Academy experts say the FAA's efforts "and we see siders overall risk and ben- same way as technologies
The National Academies of Federal Aviation Adminis- them as an endorsement efit, the advisers wrote. used in manned aircraft,"
Science, Engineering and tration tilts against propos- of our efforts and encour- Instead, the advisers rec- the board experts wrote.
Medicine said in a report als for commercial uses of agement to accelerate ommended, the FAA q