USA TODAY: …In the first formal step toward reinstating net neutrality, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler presented a draft of the revised rules to his fellow commissioners Thursday. The rules would prevent Internet service providers from blocking or discriminating against lawful content.
But the proposal allows fast lanes to consumers’ homes, the so-called “last mile,” that content providers such as Netflix can purchase as long as the same opportunities are available to others on “commercially reasonable” terms. The new rules give the FCC the authority to review such arrangements to ensure that they don’t harm consumers and competition.
Critics of the new approach immediately asserted that fast lanes are a form of discrimination that could leave small businesses and entrepreneurs at a disadvantage. The FCC should include specific language to prevent such deals, or ISPs should be classified as public utilities that can be regulated more strictly, they say… (more)
