News Brief: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has scheduled a Dec. 14 vote on his plan to roll back Obama-era regulations known as “net neutrality.” The protections prevent internet service providers, like Comcast and Verizon, from providing faster service for some sites over others, charging more for the fast lane. In a statement, Pai said the rules “depressed investment in building and expanding broadband networks and deterred innovation.” More on the topic from The New York Times, which notes that the new plan “would represent a significant victory for broadband and telecom companies like AT&T and Comcast and would amount to a strike against consumers.”
Update: On Wednesday, City of Seattle CTO Michael Mattmiller issued a statement that condemned repealing net neutrality.
“The fight for strong net neutrality protections is important for the internet to remain a space for creativity, innovation and free speech,” he said in a statement. “Net neutrality is necessary to protect Seattle’s consumers and ensure all internet content is equally accessible.”
