The FCC’s proposal to promote net neutrality is getting negative responses from different quarters.

The FCC is the governing body of the US communications industry, and its present proposal suggests formalising half a dozen net neutrality rules, which will force ISPs to stop exercising their discretionary powers. The proposal, if enacted, will have due legal backing to ensure compliance.

The ISPs are strongly against the proposal, as it will deprive them of their rights to decide what content users can and cannot access, and at what price. For consumers, the formalizing will be a great boon if it can be implemented. David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast, points out that despite the continuing debate on net neutrality, the internet has continued to grow, and hence such new rules are not required. He further adds that such rules are likely to create a problem rather than solve one.

Dylan F. Tweney of Wired supports Cohen’s thoughts, and adds that the rules will cause inconvenience to the consumer and in fact limit their access to the internet. This is primarily because as service providers lose revenue owing to the rules, they will be forced to implement bandwidth caps instead of the current fixed rate plans.

This kind of response, though expected from the ISPs, cannot be condoned, especially given the kind of stranglehold they have on the market in the US, as compared to what operators have in the UK. Click here for a broadband comparison of the UK ISP’s.

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