If all goes as planned, the Federal Communications Commission will vote next Thursday to repeal net neutrality rules, giving internet service providers like Verizon and Comcast substantial power over the content they provide and the prices they charge to do so. The unpopular move, spearheaded by Trump-appointed FCC Chairman (and former Verizon lawyer) Ajit Pai, has already drawn the ire of hundreds of popular websites and millions of consumers. On Thursday, nearly five dozen U.S. mayors and other local leaders added their outrage to the chorus, making their anger known in a public letter addressed to Pai and his fellow commissioners. The letter coincided with protests at hundreds of Verizon stores and congressional offices across the country. (HuffPost’s parent company Oath is owned by Verizon, but HuffPost’s union is represented by the Writers Guild of America, East, which supports net neutrality.)

Source: Huffington Post December 08, 2017 01:07 UTC