this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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Hopefully we'll see the return of net neutrality. It was implemented the last time that the FCC was 3-2 dem, then it was revoked when that switched to 2-3. This is the first time that dems are in charge since that revocation.
For it to really stick, it needs to be enshrined in law. Until then it's just a temporary FCC policy that could get easily removed at some point in the future.
That depends on how long FCC is able to keep it implemented for, IMO.
Something that gets lost a lot in policy discussion is that once you implement a business regulatory policy like this, you create a constituency for that policy. It's an advantage in preserving hard fought gains but that also means the timelines need to work for it. The problem net neutrality faced the first time is that it was (a) late in Obama's presidency, (b) held up by court cases, and (c) reversed early on by Trump's FCC. There wasn't much time for the internet business community to build a business model around it.
If net neutrality is regulated into existence for 5+ years, at that point businesses will have come to rely on its existence. Taking it away will be harder, especially for a big pro-business party if it's getting an earful from megacorporations that want things to stay as they are.
Of course, I do agree that legislating it is the most robust option and would be the best course of action. I just don't see legislation as the only option with any longevity. FCC rules can be that if the timelines work.
I'm pretty sure that the GOP keeps a list of things that the Dems do expressly for the purposes of nullifying it the next time they have the chance. It may take them 50 years, coughRoecough but they just keep at it.
Imagine where we'd be if all that energy was turned to a more productive endeavor. Like, well, anything really.