In a 3-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved new net neutrality rules on Thursday, providing a landmark decision on internet regulation.

Under the new rules, internet service providers (ISPs), like Verizon and AT&T, are prohibited from “paid prioritization,” meaning facilitating internet “fast lanes.” Broadband providers are also banned from throttling or blocking access to legal content (or websites), applications, services or “non-harmful devices,” a Tuesday FCC release explained.

The move supports three principles: that “America’s broadband networks must be fast, fair and open,” the agency said, and marks a historic decision to regulate internet service as a public utility.

“Today, the Commission – once and for all – enacts strong, sustainable rules, grounded in multiple sources of legal authority, to ensure that Americans reap the economic, social and civic benefits of an Open Internet today and into the future,” the FCC said.

Via: scmagazine