Twitter along with few others had submitted a paper asking the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider its plan to end net neutrality. Mr. Ajit Pai, who is FCC’s Indian-origin Chairman has called the micro-blogging site Twitter, as a “part of the problem”.
Late on tuesday, Tech Crunch reported that In an event hosted jointly by the “free market think tank” R Street Institute and the Lincoln Network, Pai claimed that Twitter and other online services are a part of the net neutrality problem. He claimed that not just broadband providers but also these sites, who can exert control over the Internet content..
Pai was quoted saying “When it comes to an open Internet, Twitter is part of the problem. The company has a viewpoint and uses that viewpoint to discriminate,”
Pai said “Twitter blocked Representative Marsha Blackburn from advertising her Senate campaign launch video because it featured a pro-life message. Before that, during the so-called Day of Action, Twitter warned users that a link to a statement by one company on the topic of Internet regulation ‘may be unsafe. “
“And to say the least, the company appears to have a double standard when it comes to suspending or de-verifying conservative users’ accounts as opposed to those of liberal users. This conduct is many things, but it isn’t fighting for an open Internet,” He said.
Apparently, over 200 businesses asked FCC to reconsider its plan to end net neutrality. Earlier the agency had announced about voting to rollback the rules that require internet service providers to treat all online traffic equally, These rules were adopted back in 2015 .
According to the present net neutrality rules, all businesses are allowed to compete equally. According to the companies that presented the letter, Without these rules, online businesses may be hindered by internet providers, that prioritise their own interests..
The FCC will vote on this proposal, which has been named as Restoring Internet Freedom Order, at the December 14 open meeting.
Mr. Ajit Pai pointed out two drawbacks to the current rules — Reduced investment and restrain innovation.
According to Pai, These net neutrality rules have, “imposed heavy-handed, utility-style regulations” upon the internet that have “depressed investment in building and expanding broadband networks”.
He said , “recent experience shows that so-called edge providers are deciding what content consumers see. These providers routinely block or discriminate against content they do not like.”
“In this way, edge providers are a much bigger actual threat to an open Internet than broadband providers, especially when it comes to discrimination on the basis of viewpointÂ… So let’ss be clear,”
Pai further elaborated that “the companies can cloak their advocacy in the disguise of public interest, but the real interest of these Internet giants is to use the regulatory process to create their dominance in the Internet economy”
