Jessica Rosenworcel, the chair of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is initiating an effort to reinstate net neutrality rules that were abolished under former President Donald Trump. This move comes after Democrats gained majority control of the FCC for the first time since President Joe Biden took office. The FCC plans to hold an initial vote on the proposal in October. Net neutrality rules were adopted under former President Barack Obama in 2015 but were reversed in 2017. Rosenworcel had previously criticized the repeal and now aims to restore the rules.

In July 2021, President Biden signed an executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules. The FCC’s decision to reverse the rules in 2017 allowed internet service providers to block or throttle traffic and offer paid fast lanes. Rosenworcel denounced this reversal in 2017, stating that it put the FCC on the wrong side of history and the law. The FCC’s upcoming vote on the net neutrality proposal is seen as a step towards restoring these protections.

The U.S. Justice Department also withdrew its legal challenge to California’s state net neutrality law after President Biden took office. In 2022, a federal appeals court ruled that the FCC’s decision to reverse federal net neutrality protections could not prevent state action. Industry groups have since abandoned further legal challenges. With Democrats in control of the FCC, there is renewed hope for the reinstatement of net neutrality rules, which aim to ensure an open and equal internet for all users.

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