
Tag: FCC






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You Spoke Out, and They Listened: U.S. FCC Passes Strong Net Neutrality Rules
Today the U.S. Federal Communications Commission listened to the more than 4 million voices who asked for the agency to protect the open net. Voting 3-2 in favor of Net Neutrality, the agency re-classified broadband internet under Title II of the Communications Act—the strongest protections currently available. The move caps off almost a decade of activism by civil society groups in the U.S., but also pressure from groups outside the country including members of the Global Net Neutrality coalition.…
26 February 2015

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Dear U.S. FCC: Net Neutrality Rules Must Ban Zero Rating. Period.
Next week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote on rules that, it says, would finally put in place Net Neutrality protections for U.S. internet users. While we are optimistic about the strength of these rules, we’re also worried they will fail to adequately protect against so-called “zero rating” services — schemes devised by internet providers and services like Facebook, Wikimedia, and Spotify in which app usage doesn’t count against data caps —and other forms of price discrimination. A failure to include such language in the FCC’s new rules would not only render them weaker than what came before, but would also create a giant opening for Verizon and other carriers to perpetrate rampant online discrimination.…
20 February 2015

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Access delivers petition to U.S. agencies to investigate use of zombie cookies by mobile carriers
Today, Access delivered a petition signed by 3,000 users to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the use of so-called “zombie cookies” by mobile carriers to track their customers’ web traffic. Access also delivered a similar petition to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) because both agencies arguably have the authority to investigate these harmful practices.…
18 February 2015


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The World Is Watching: 31 Rights Groups from 21 Countries Urge the FCC to Protect Net Neutrality
This week 31 digital rights groups from some 21 countries on five continents urged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pass strong Net Neutrality rules that that would reclassify broadband providers under Title II of the Communications Act. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler gave encouraging signs that he intends to propose rules that would harness the full extent of the FCC’s authority on February 26, yet members of the U.S. Congress and some ISPs are already on the attack. …
10 February 2015


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Access cheers FCC move toward Net Neutrality
Today U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler confirmed that the agency will move to pass strong Net Neutrality protections later this month. Any action by Congress to roll back FCC authority or threaten common carrier status for broadband providers will meet thunderous opposition, by U.S. users as well as international communities.…
4 February 2015


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Today Is the Internet Slowdown
Today a broad coalition of groups and companies is participating in the “Internet Slowdown” — a day of action in which sites around the web are covered in symbolic “loading” icons to remind everyone of what an internet without net neutrality would look like. Access is proud to participate in the action.…
10 September 2014

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Access tells the FCC to use its authority to reclassify broadband and protect net neutrality
This week Access submitted comments to the FCC urging it to use its full authority to reclassify broadband internet access service as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act — the only viable way the agency can safeguard the values that enabled the internet to become a global force for commerce, culture, free expression, and innovation.…
18 July 2014

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The FCC is dealing the internet away, opening the door to network discrimination
Today, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, Tom Wheeler circulated a proposal for new rules on network neutrality that could allow internet service providers (ISP) to charge content providers and other companies different prices to reach customers at…
24 April 2014

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FCC’s tender touch won’t save the internet
Nearly a month after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C. Circuit) struck down the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) authority to enforce existing network neutrality rules, the FCC announced its response. In a statement today, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler engaged in impressive verbal acrobatics to avoid the simple truth: In order to protect the open and innovative internet the FCC must correct its earlier mistakes and expand the agency’s regulatory authority over internet service providers (ISP) under Title II of the 1996 Communications Act.
…20 February 2014

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U.S. District Court ruling on net neutrality sets dangerous precedent
Yesterday, a U.S. Appeals Court invalidated the U.S. Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality rules. In its ruling, the court stated that the FCC lacked the authority to prevent internet service providers from discriminating among certain types of traffic — effectively allowing providers to make pay-to-play a reality online. This ruling is a significant blow to net neutrality, in the United States and elsewhere. The Court’s ruling creates a dangerous global precedent places the unique character of the internet — its boldness, creativity, and diversity — at risk. And yet, by ruling selectively on the merits of the case, the Court has left the door open for possible reforms, at least in the United States.…
15 January 2014

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U.S. “Internet Governance Bill” advances to the full House of Representatives with modifications
The proposed U.S. House of Representatives “Internet Governance Bill” was approved by the full Energy and Commerce Committee today and will now move on to the full House of Representatives. The revised draft of the bill would make it the “policy of the United States to preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet.”…
17 April 2013