NEW YORK (AP) — Your ability to watch and use your favorite apps and services could start to change — though not right away — following the official demise Monday of Obama-era internet protections. Any changes are likely to happen slowly, as companies assess how much consumers will tolerate. With net neutrality rules gone, AT&T and Verizon can give priority to their own movies and TV shows, while hurting rivals such as Amazon, YouTube and startups yet to be born. The repeal of “net neutrality” took effect six months after the Federal Communications Commission voted to undo the rules, which had barred broadband and cellphone companies from favoring their own services and discriminating against rivals such as Netflix. Internet providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast had to treat all traffic equally. They couldn’t slow down or block websites and apps of their choosing. Nor could they charge Netflix and other video services extra to reach viewers more smoothly. The rules also barred a broadband provider from, say, slowing down Amazon’s shopping site to extract business concessions. Now, all that is legal as long as companies post their policies online. The change comes as broadband and cellphone providers expand their efforts to deliver video and other content to consumers. With net neutrality rules gone, AT&T and Verizon can give priority to their own movies and TV shows, while hurting rivals such as Amazon, YouTube and startups yet to be born. The battle isn’t entirely over, though. Some states are moving to restore net neutrality, and lawsuits are pending. Also, the Senate voted to save net neutrality, though that effort isn’t likely to become law. For now, broadband providers insist they won’t do anything that would harm the “internet experience” for consumers. Most currently have service terms that specify they won’t give preferential treatment to certain websites and services, including their own. However, companies are likely to drop these self-imposed restrictions; they will just wait until people aren’t paying a lot of attention, said Marc Martin, a former FCC staffer who is now chairman of communications practice at the law firm Perkins Coie. Any changes now, while the spotlight is on net neutrality, could lead to a public relations backlash. Companies are likely to start testing the boundaries over the next six months to a year. Expect to see more offers like AT&T’s exemption of its DirecTV Now streaming TV service from customers’ mobile data limits. Rival services like Sling TV and Netflix count video against data caps, essentially making them more expensive to watch. Although the FCC issued a report in January 2017 saying such arrangements, known as “zero rating,” are probably anti-consumer, the agency did not require companies to change their practices right away. After President Donald Trump appointed a new chairman to the FCC, the agency reversed its stance on zero rating and proceeded to kill net neutrality. Critics of net neutrality, including the Trump administration, say such rules impeded companies’ ability to adapt to a quickly evolving internet. But consumer advocates say that the repeal is just pandering to big business and that cable and phone giants will now be free to block access to services they don’t like. They can also set up “fast lanes” for preferred services — in turn, relegating everyone else to “slow lanes.” Tech companies such as Netflix, Spotify and Snap echoed similar concerns in regulatory filings. The battle isn’t entirely over. Martin said broadband providers probably won’t mess with existing services like Netflix, as that could alienate consumers. But they could start charging extra for services not yet offered. For instance, they might charge more to view high-resolution “4K” video, while offering lower-quality video for free. The fees would be paid by the video services, such as Hulu, and could be passed along to consumers in higher subscription rates. More than 20 states sued the government to stop the repeal, as did the public-interest group Free Press and the think tank Open Technology Institute and Firefox browser maker Mozilla. Washington and Oregon now have their own net neutrality laws, and a bill is pending in California’s legislature. That’s another reason companies are likely to move slowly, at least at first. “They don’t want to add fuel to the fire,” Martin said.<doc-sep>The end of net neutrality is here; here's what that means for you Advertisement The end of net neutrality is here; here's what that means for you Share Shares Copy Link Copy The way the internet is regulated in the U.S. is changing. The controversial repeal of Obama-era net neutrality protections officially took effect Monday, despite ongoing efforts from members of Congress, state officials, tech companies and advocacy groups to save the rules.The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines in December to repeal the rules, which were intended to prevent internet providers from blocking, speeding up, or slowing down access to specific online services.The order required the approval of the Office of Management and Budget, which the FCC announced receiving last month. In a statement at the time, FCC chairman Ajit Pai framed the upcoming repeal as removing burdensome regulations. "Now, on June 11, these unnecessary and harmful internet regulations will be repealed and the bipartisan, light-touch approach that served the online world well for nearly 20 years will be restored," Pai said in a statement last month.An FCC spokesperson told CNN this week that the timetable is proceeding as previously announced. "June 11 is significant because it will be the first time in the over 15-year battle over net neutrality that the FCC will have essentially no role in preserving an open internet and overseeing the broadband market," Gigi Sohn, a counselor to former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler and a staunch supporter of net neutrality, told CNN.The concern among net neutrality advocates is that the repeal could give internet providers too much control over how online content is delivered. It may also make it harder for the next generation of online services to compete if they have to pay up to be placed in a so-called internet fast lane. "Those 'fast lanes' will put those who won't or cannot pay in the slow lane, making the internet look a lot like cable TV," Sohn says.Speaking on "CBS This Morning" Monday, Pai says the Federal Trade Commission will prevent companies from trying to slow the speed of a competitor's content. "We've empowered the FTC to take action against any company that might act in any competitive way," he said. "The consumer is going to be protected and we preserve the incentive for companies to build out better, faster, and cheaper internet access. "But even those who oppose the repeal say very little is likely to change right away given pending litigation and possible legislation to settle the issue. "Nothing will change the next day," says Kevin Werbach, an associate professor of legal studies at Wharton and former FCC adviser. "Companies are not going to take any major action to change their policies until it's resolved. "Last month, the Senate passed a measure to preserve the net neutrality rules. On Thursday, with the official repeal date looming, dozens of senators sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to schedule a vote on the issue.A collection of advocacy groups has called for "mass online actions" on June 11 to once again call attention to the issue and pressure Congress to act. "It's an uphill fight," says Chris Lewis, vice president of Public Knowledge, a tech advocacy group that has urged the House to take action. The Republican-led House, and President Donald Trump, are both thought to be unlikely to back the Senate's measure.More than 20 states have filed a lawsuit to stop the net neutrality repeal. Several states, including New Jersey, Washington, Oregon and California, have gone so far as to push legislation to enforce the principles of net neutrality within their borders.This local legislation could lead to a legal showdown, however.A spokeswoman for the FCC previously directed CNN to a section of the final order for net neutrality, in which the FCC asserts authority to prevent states from pursuing laws inconsistent with the net neutrality repeal. "It's patently illegal for the states to make their own internet policy," Roslyn Layton, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who served on Trump's transition team for the FCC, said last month.The general uncertainty around the future of net neutrality is likely to extend through much of this year, if not longer, according to those pushing for legislation and litigation. "We'll see what happens after the election," Lewis says.<doc-sep>
Net neutrality is no longer the law of the land. The Federal Communications Commission on Monday put into effect a new rule called "Restoring Internet Freedom," which replaces net neutrality, the Obama-era regulation that ensured internet service providers like Comcast (CMCSA) and Verizon (VZ) treat all websites and content equally. Net neutrality ended six months after the FCC voted to scrub the previous rules, despite widespread public opposition to the decision. Supporters of net neutrality argue the regulations blocked internet providers from slowing down content from rival sites or services, and kept them from charging more for bandwidth-heavy streaming services like Netflix (NFLX). Even though net neutrality is dead, don't expect to see immediate changes, said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, a digital rights advocacy group. "The big ISPs know that they're being watched -- by Congress, by the courts and by their customers," she said. "They're not going to roll out harmful paid prioritization plans, site blocking or throttling right away. But starting today they have the legal ability to do so at any time they choose." Greer predicts that ISPs will first create packages that seem favorable to consumers, such as providing one of their own services for free while tacking on a fee for a rival service. "Consumers won't notice the shift at first, but over time the internet will become unrecognizable," she said. "There will be more centralization and less choice." Here are three things to know about the end of net neutrality: States and advocacy groups are still fighting to save it More than 20 states sued the government to stop the repeal, as did the public-interest group Free Press, think tank Open Technology Institute and Firefox browser maker Mozilla. Washington and Oregon now have their own net neutrality laws, and a bill is pending in California's legislature. "The public is outraged and fighting tooth and nail to get Congress to overrule the FCC -- and it's likely that that will happen before ISPs can do too much damage," Greer said. The FCC says the new rules will benefit consumers FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who voted in favor of repealing net neutrality, said on CBS This Morning the "Restoring Internet Freedom" rule will be "tremendously positive" for consumers. Pai argued that net neutrality created a disincentive for internet services to invest in their networks. In his view, removing the rule will open the floodgates to corporate investment, ultimately providing faster and more widespread internet access. Yet critics say companies are likely to invest simply because they now believe they can ramp up prices and earn more money from consumers and websites. The FTC will now handle consumer issues with ISPs Net neutrality gave the FCC authority over internet providers, which now is being handed back to the Federal Trade Commission, Pai wrote in an article for CNET. "The FTC is empowered to take action against any company that engages in any anticompetitive conduct," Pai also told CBS This Morning. Yet critics say that's a mistake, arguing that the FCC has the expertise and ability to regulate the internet industry, given that the agency's bailiwick is communication networks. Others point out that the FTC, which oversees consumer protection for every corner of the U.S. economy, already has its hands full. --With reporting by The Associated Press.