Local advocates of net neutrality are celebrating a victory. The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to change the way Internet service providers (ISPs) are regulated.
Neza Leal works with the Media Literacy Project in Albuquerque. He says the FCC’s vote to reclassify Internet service providers as public utilities is appropriate considering how Internet infrastructure works.
“If they use public land for their cables, if they use our public air to deliver this service,” Leal said, “then that means that the Internet is a communications service that belongs to the public. ”
The FCC’s new rules prevent Internet service providers from favoring some websites over others. They also prohibit providers from blocking legal Internet content or slowing down traffic on the web.
Internet service providers are expected to challenge the rule in court.
