EDINBURG – The Federal Communications Commission announced in October that it is moving to classify the internet as a government-regulated telecommunications service.
The move comes after Jessica Rosenworcel chairwoman of the FCC, proposed several rules to be imposed on internet service providers that would limit their control such as prohibiting the blocking of content.
Rosenworcel’s propositions would reverse former chair Ajit Pai’s rollbacks on Net Neutrality regulations in 2017 as described by the Congressional Research Service.
Kevin Crouse, chief information security officer at UTRGV, said the move could impact ISPs here in the Valley, such as Spectrum and AT&T.
“They have all these different providers out there, and deregulation isn’t always the best solution,” Crouse said. “The internet is designed to be open, that’s what it turned into. And giving some people priority over others, it doesn’t work with America’s sense of fair play.”
The Texas branch of Charter Communications, Spectrum’s parent company, declined to comment on the matter.