Net Neutrality laws scrapped in US

Is the death of internet freedom upon us?

American media regulator FCC has scrapped laws that enable an open internet where all traffic is treated equally, and consumers enjoy some measure of protection from spying.

Yesterday, members of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington voted three to two to get rid of the regulation that protects internet users.

As a result, more powers will be handed to cable and telecoms companies, and there are fears they'll be able to up internet prices and spy on what people are doing.

From now on, internet service providers will have the legal means and power to throttle, block and control content that runs on their network.

Five sitting FCC Comissioners were involved in the vote, including three Repuplicans and Two Democrats. Many observers saw the freedom of the internet as being at stake.

In 2015, the Obama administration passed these rules to regulate powerful telecommunications firms and ensure there's internet freedom for citizens.

However, now these companies are essentially in control of the internet. USA Today gives the example of Comcast slowing down a user's connection so they watch NBC shows.

Of course, cable companies are trying to shift consumers away from the gloom here and have been trying to reassure them about the future.

In a blog post, Comcast's senvior executive vice-president David Cohen wrote: "This is not the end of net neutrality.

"Despite repeated distortions and biased information, our internet service is not going to change. Comcast customers will continue to enjoy all of the benefits of an open internet today, tomorrow, and in the future."

Harley Geiger, director of public policy at cyber security firm Rapid7, slammed the decision. He said it'll have massive consequences for internet users.

"The principle of net neutrality has played an important role in providing users with equal access to digital content, empowering content creators of all sizes to compete on a more level playing field regardless of resources," said Geiger.

"Repealing net neutrality will undercut these opportunities and weaken full participation in the digital economy for small or independent content creators.

"We believe the FCC is going down the wrong path by repealing the 2015 Open Internet Order, and we support efforts in Congress to put net neutrality on permanent footing

Although the law will have big ramifications for internet freedom, consumers won't notice them straight away. Geiger explained: " From a consumer's perspective, repeal probably won't mean anything immediately.

"The internet will continue to run. However, over time, you may well see lags on delivery of certain types of content, and may start to see higher premium charges for accessing some services or information.

"In the longer term, as we move into a future of ever-higher bandwidth, it could become harder for startups and small businesses to compete for traffic prioritization against companies with greater resources."