Tag
3 incidents
A campaign of government coercion against media through broadcast license threats from the president and FCC chair, forced cancellation of a television show, pressure to remove apps, and demands that platforms suppress immigration-related content.
Net neutrality rules prevented ISPs from discriminating between different types of internet traffic — from blocking competitors' services, throttling streaming video, or creating 'fast lanes' for content providers willing to pay. The Trump FCC repeal removed those protections, reclassifying broadband as an information service rather than a utility. States including California passed their own net neutrality rules; the legal status remained contested through Trump's first term.
Net neutrality rules required internet service providers to treat all internet traffic equally — not to slow down or block Netflix while favoring their own streaming service, or charge websites for premium delivery. The repeal allowed ISPs to create tiered access to the internet. The FCC's public comment process was flooded with millions of fake comments submitted using stolen identities; the New York attorney general investigated. Pai's arguments that the repeal would increase broadband investment were contradicted by ISPs' own earnings statements and CEO comments to investors.