Net Neutrality’s Future in Crosshairs as FCC Chief Departs
- Agency set for a 2-1 Republican majority after Democratic era
- Republicans want to ‘fire up weed whacker’ on FCC rules
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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler’s departure next month leaves in doubt his signature initiative: the net neutrality rule that’s reviled by cable and telephone companies.
The groundbreaking set of regulations, passed in 2015 by Wheeler and his Democratic majority, forbids internet service providers from blocking or slowing rivals’ content. Companies such as AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and the cable industry led by Comcast Corp. sued to block the rule, saying it gave the agency too much authority.