Net Neutrality Faces Opposition

The Federal Communications Commission approved net neutrality rules, but now Congress is planning on possibly lessening or changing those rules.

Ryan Allis, chief executive of Connect, a social media app, said on Press:Here he was happy about the FCC's decision. "I believe all data should be treated equally," he said. "I don’t know in the current Congress if they believe all data should be treated equally, but I think (FCC Chairman) Mr. Wheeler does."

When asked why he doesn't think providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast deserve something for creating the infrastructure for its customers, Allis agreed that the companies provided a necessity but shouldn't be able to withhold Internet access from the poor.

"I’m a capitalist, I believe in competition," he said. "But it's a monopoly, (the cable companies) don’t compete in the same cities and we should treat them as utilities. .. . We need a world where people can have access to the internet where they’re not discriminated against based on what they can afford to pay."

The net neutrality rules, which passed in February, are not only in danger of being changed by possible legislation, but also by lawsuits. Earlier this week, several Internet providers filed lawsuits against the new rules, hoping to overturn the decision.

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