The FCC announced on November 21, 2017 that it will vote on the repeal of its Open Internet Order of 2015, which enshrines the principles of net neutrality. The proposal has been expected since the change in US administration at the start of 2017, and will likely result in a return to the pre-2015 status quo, pulling back the reclassification of broadband as a telecommunications service.
US braced for net neutrality shake-up
On 18 May 2017, the FCC will hold an open meeting during which it will consider a range of subjects. The biggest and most contentious relates to ‘restoring internet freedom’ – a vote (which is widely expected to be passed), on rolling back the net neutrality rules. Following the vote, the challenge for the FCC will be to ensure that the repeal will not result in a regulatory vacuum.
Dutch court strikes down regulator's attempt to ban zero rating
On 20 April 2017 a court in the Netherlands ruled that the regulator's ban on price discrimination violates the EU's 2016 net neutrality regulation. The court found that while T-Mobile's zero rating did violate Dutch law, the ban on price discrimination does not apply as the EU's net neutrality regulation should take precedent.
