WELCOME

Internet service providers should have been required to comply with

April 12, 2018 by Ella Pickett

Internet service providers should have been required to comply with the new law and the FCC's repeal by the end of November. However, CenturyLink has received a $15 million fine from the Federal Trade Commission over its use of data collection by the FCC.

CenturyLink's decision to block customer Internet access means that it has been able to continue to provide the Internet to people who need it most. However, as we have noted before, the FCC is already imposing mandatory limits on ISPs that operate in the public interest because of consumer concerns. As with other telecommunications companies, the FCC has never taken meaningful action to implement an ISP's data collection practices on Americans.

The FCC does not regulate Internet access and must impose limits on providers that make their decisions based on consumer demand. That means that any ISP that imposes a cap on Internet service providers is a threat to national security and an infringement of First Amendment freedoms.

If the FCC is to act, it will take a number of important steps to stop the abuses that the FCC has been engaging in. Congress must immediately establish a commission to investigate complaints and take action to ensure that all public interest groups are included in the public discussion about broadband privacy rights. In the first place, Congress must act to block every Internet service provider that is engaged in unlawful, illegal behavior or practices.

There is one other reason to block Internet access: It is important for consumers to have access to accurate information about the internet. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently announced that it will be using the FCC's authority over ISPs to better protect consumers against unfair and deceptive practices. The agency will use this authority to investigate how ISPs treat consumers and the websites that they visit.

Congress should be concerned that the FCC has become a tool for the government to block Internet providers that are not abiding by their obligations under the Internet Act.