Ajit Pai can usually count on support from broadband industry lobbyists and conservative think tanks each time he announces a new policy. But Pai's proposal to limit broadband choices for poor people who rely on a telecom subsidy program is coming under fire from all directions. Pai, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, wants a major overhaul of Lifeline, a federal program that lets poor people use a $9.25 monthly household subsidy to buy Internet and/or phone service.

Washington became the first state Monday to set up its own net-neutrality requirements after U.S. regulators repealed Obama-era rules that banned internet providers from blocking content or interfering with online traffic. "We know that when D.C. fails to act, Washington state has to do so," Gov. Jay Inslee said before signing the measure that lawmakers passed with bipartisan support. "We know how important this is."

The US state of Washington is on the verge of passing a sweeping new set of net neutrality safeguards that would apply to all carriers within its borders. The bill, HB 2282, would bar anyone offering broadband services within the state from throttling traffic, offering paid prioritization, or blocking lawful content. The bill also requires ISPs to post their policies on traffic management within their networks online for all to sde.

The National Rifle Association's decision to give one of the least liked people on the internet an award for "courage" last week wasn't just tone deaf, it may have violated agency rules. The NRA gifted Pai with an expensive musket at last week's CPAC's conference, insisting the agency head was "courageous" for ignoring the will of the public (and the people that built the actual internet) and killing net neutrality. But the gift may have been more than just tone deaf quest for attention, it may have put Ajit Pai on the wrong side of FCC ethics rules.

A few years ago, you might recall that Oregon legislators passed a new law giving tax cuts to ISPs willing to quickly deploy gigabit broadband in the state. The goal was to encourage the rise of smaller broadband competitors, easing their entry into what traditional has been a very hostile market controlled by politically-powerful incumbents. But the effort had numerous issues, first of which being that an initial draft actually make deployment more expensive for companies like Google Fiber. The other problem: Comcast quickly nabbed millions in tax breaks due to the legislation without having to do much of anything different.

A broadband internet connection is vital to full participation in our society and economy. Increasingly, government services and job opportunities can only be accessed online. Indeed, homework assigned to seven out of 10 K-12 students in the US requires internet access, according to a recent study. The internet provides access to necessary information and a way to stay connected to friends and family, be they around the corner or around the world.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai smiled smugly while he blew up the basic net neutrality protections that keep the Internet free from censorship, throttling, and outrageous fees. He lied his face off, “joked” about being a Verizon puppet, refused to comply with transparency laws, and ignored overwhelming public outcry from across the political spectrum.

The order directs state agencies to contract only with internet service providers who comply with net neutrality standards — with possible exceptions

Tumblr, GitHub, Patreon, and DuckDuckGo are among the latest web platforms to announce their participation in an Internet-wide day of action on February 27 dubbed Operation: #OneMoreVote, an internet-wide push called for by the organizations behind BattleForTheNet.com and many of the largest online protests in history. Internet users, small businesses, online communities, public interest groups and popular websites will harness their reach to flood lawmakers with calls, emails and...

The FCC's recent broadband availability report is being blasted for being completely inaccurate. We've long noted that the broadband industry consistently fights against accurate broadband availability and price mapping, since highlighting the sector's failures might just encourage somebody to do something about it. In particular, large ISPs are afraid of government policies that could spur competition to markets, in turn driving down revenues.

Analysis Cable biz Fidelity Communications has been forced to admit it was behind an astroturfing campaign against a city-run fiber network in America's Midwest. The campaign, titled Stop City-Funded Internet, started last month with a website and accompanying social media handles, and has been a persistent critic of efforts by West Plains, Missouri, to expand its homegrown broadband network to include more businesses and even residential customers.

New Jersey on Monday became the latest state to implement its own net neutrality rules following the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of the Obama-era consumer protections.

There's a problem with America's internet? La la la can't hear you, la la la. Analysis Fifteen million Americans don't have access to broadband internet. For those that do, the United States has close to the slowest speeds among advanced economies. And for that, Americans pay more than almost anyone else. Those are what should be the main findings of the annual broadband report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), emitted this month.

The goal is to frame net neutrality as a fringe issue favored by the Hollywood elite, while suggesting the FCC’s hard at work tackling the real problem: rural broadband availability. FCC boss Ajit Pai hopes that a hollow dedication to rural broadband will make Americans forget the agency sold them out on net neutrality. Since taking office, Pai has routinely insisted that his top priority is closing the digital divide and improving broadband speed and availability. Unfortunately, for those stuck without adequate broadband, his actual policies often undermine this goal.

Alaska is just the latest state to propose its own net neutrality rules in the wake of the FCC's repeal of federal rules. Numerous states including Washington, Massachusetts, New York, California and Rhode Island have all proposed their own net neutrality rules in the wake of the FCC's repeal of federal rules, despite the fact the FCC's repeal order attempts to ban states from doing so at Verizon and Comcast's request. Other states, like Montana and New York, have signed executive orders banning ISPs that violate net neutrality from securing state contracts.

New York has become the second state to enforce net neutrality with an executive order that prevents ISPs from obtaining state contracts unless they follow net neutrality principles. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the executive order yesterday, days after Montana Governor Steve Bullock did the same. The states are challenging the Federal Communications Commission, which repealed its own net neutrality rules and preempted states from imposing similar ones.

AT&T is calling on Congress to settle the internet freedom debate by passing a federal net neutrality law. In a full-page ad appearing in multiple U.S. newspapers on Wednesday, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said his company has suffered from regulatory whiplash. Various presidential administrations and government agencies have pursued wildly differing internet policies over the past decade.

In an announcement today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he has signed an executive order that would require internet service providers with state contracts to abide by net neutrality rules, even though the FCC recently voted to repeal those rules.

A new report has found that only a small fraction of German users get the internet speeds that providers promise. And, according to a study of service providers, the problem is only getting worse.

Fifty senators have endorsed a legislative measure to override the Federal Communications Commission's recent decision to deregulate the broadband industry, top Democrats said Monday. The tally leaves supporters just one Republican vote shy of the 51 required to pass a Senate resolution of disapproval, in a legislative gambit aimed at restoring the agency's net neutrality rules.