FCC Ends Investigation Into Net Neutrality Violations

The Hill reports:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday suspended its probes into whether thee major telecommunications companies violated net neutrality rules. The FCC’s wireless telecom bureau sent letters to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile informing them that the probes were over. The letters are a sign that the FCC is changing under new Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican who has been a fierce critic of the rules, which generally prevent companies from charging higher prices for faster internet service.

On Jan. 11, with a little over a week left in Obama’s presidency, then-Chairman Tom Wheeler issued a report excoriating AT&T and Verizon for their zero-rated services, which are also referred to as sponsored data programs. Zero-rating is the practice of internet providers giving their customers free data when they use certain apps. Critics say it violates the principles of net neutrality, the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally.

Pai has vowed to destroy net neutrality, which of course will result in the throttling of content from smaller companies and higher profits for the big ones.