FCC Reverses Course on Title II Classification

As expected, the FCC this week voted 2-to-1 in favor of a proposal by Chairman Ajit Pai to undo the classification of ISP's under Title II of the FCC rules. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) by the FCC, called "Restoring Internet Freedom", would effectively overturn the previous Open Internet Order that classified ISP's as "common carriers" and submitted them to new rules and restrictions. The 

"The RIF proposal cites its authority to regulate ISPs under section 706 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act instead of under Title II. Eliminating Title II classification shifts ISPs back to Title I, which classifies ISPs as information services, not telecommunication services." -- TechRepublic article, May 18, 2017

While Open Internet advocates have been crying that the move would be an end to net neutrality as we know it, Chairman Pai says it's simply returning ISP's to the "light touch" regulatory scheme that existed prior to 2015. A lot remains to be seen whether the move means much at all for ISP's and their customers.

The first round of comments on the NPRM are due July 17, 2017.