The United
States of America has officially repealed rules that governed the way net
providers treated the data that travelled across their networks.
The net
neutrality rules said companies had to treat all data equally.
Enacted in
2015, the rules sought to stop providers giving preferential treatment to sites
and services that paid them to accelerate their data.
And critics
fear repealing them may see consumers charged extra for anything more than the
most basic service.
Public
protests greeted the Federal Communications Commission's plan to end use of the
rules, with many saying it could have an impact on free speech.
But, in
December, the FCC voted to repeal the rules. And the regulations expired on
Monday.
Ajit Pai,
who chairs the FCC, was known to oppose net neutrality and in the past had said
it was a brake on innovation.
In an
opinion piece published on CNET, Mr Pai in the many years of net growth before
the neutrality rules "Facebook, Amazon, and Google went from small
start-ups to global tech giants".
"America's
internet economy became the envy in the world," he said.
Repealing
the rules would be good for consumers, he added, because it would lift
regulations that stopped some telecoms companies investing.
Net
neutrality looks set to live on in piecemeal form as some US states are
enacting legislation that will require telecoms companies operating in their
territories to abide by similar laws.
Washington's
law on treating data equally went into force as the federal rules expired. And
three other states, California, New York and Illinois, plan to pass their own
versions soon.
In addition,
the FCC is facing legal challenges from consumer rights groups and some state
attorneys general over its decision. The US Congress also plans to debate a
motion to overturn the FCC decision.
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