KILLING NET NEUTRALITY RULES

The Federal Communications Commission's plan to dismantle landmark regulations that ensure equal access to the internet has reignited a loud and furious fight over free speech and the control of the internet-

Pitting telecom giants like AT&T against internet giants like Google and Amazon, who warn against  powerful telecom gatekeepers.

Both sides are expected to lobby hard in Washington to push their agendas, and directly to the public, as they did when the existing rules were adopted.

The proposal put forward by the  F.C.C. chairman, Ajit Pai, is a sweping repeal of rules established by the Obama administration and would clear the way for companies to charge more and curb access to some websites.

The Obama rules prohibited providers of high-speed internet service from stopping or slowing down the delivery of websites or charging extra fees for the best quality of streaming and other internet services for their subscribers.

Those limits are central to the concept called neutrality.

''Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet,'' Mr. Pai said in a statement.

''Instead, the F.C.C. would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that's best for them and-

Entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate.''

More on this subject in the future, as The World Students Society researches the pros and cons.