MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Life without net neutrality hard to imagine in Seattle

Dec 12, 2017, 12:26 PM

Net Neutrality...

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

It will begin with services such as Netflix. People will see the price of streaming services increase if the FCC ditches the country’s net neutrality rules.

More ads will appear on Google and Facebook as companies try to offset additional costs imposed upon them by cable companies.

RELATED: Protests target Verizon stores across Washington over FCC action

Cable bills will increase and everything on it could be priced separately.

That’s according to Tim Wu, the man who coined the phrase “network neutrality.”

“I would predict, as in all things, the consumer would pay more,” he told Seattle’s Morning News.

The FCC may vote to overturn 2015 rules that prohibit internet service providers from having more control over content. People opposed to the change worry service providers will throttle some content — or perhaps block it altogether.

The FCC’s agenda for Dec. 14 states:

The Commission will consider a Declaratory Ruling, Report and Order, and Order that will restore Internet Freedom by returning broadband Internet access service to its prior classification as an information service, and reinstate the private mobile service classification of mobile broadband Internet access service. The item also will eliminate the Commission’s vague and expansive Internet Conduct Standard, along with the bright-line rules. Additionally, it will modify the transparency rule to promote additional transparency, while eliminating burdensome and unnecessary requirements.

If rules established in 2015 are overturned, Wu says it may come down to individual states or even cities to enact their own net neutrality regulations.

Wu says it would be tough to imagine cities such as Seattle without net neutrality rules. He says there could be a ballot initiative to restore net neutrality — and more than 50 percent approval would be likely. Of course, a lawsuit challenging such an initiative would be possible.

But, just like the citywide income tax, Seattle has proven that it isn’t afraid to fight for what it wants.

Listen to the entire interview with Wu here.

MyNorthwest News

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

7 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

8 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

10 hours ago

Grocery store shopper...

Bill Kaczaraba

Ways to deal with Seattle grocery store sticker shock

Seattle grocery store sticker shock continues to play havoc on locals, but there are ways to counter high prices.

10 hours ago

belltown hellcat social media...

Frank Sumrall

Infamous ‘Belltown Hellcat’ social media influencer charged with reckless driving

The social media influencer has been accused of driving 107 miles per hour through Belltown in a Dodge Hellcat.

11 hours ago

KIRO Newsradio gracie awards...

MyNorthwest Staff

KIRO Newsradio anchors receive Gracie Awards for outstanding work

Heather Bosch and Lisa Brooks, anchors at KIRO Newsradio, have been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media with prestigious Gracie Awards.

14 hours ago

Life without net neutrality hard to imagine in Seattle