Local Internet providers say their services won't change

When the Federal Communications Commission voted on Dec. 14 to repeal Obama-era net neutrality regulations, there were fears among consumers that the decision meant the end of the internet as we know it.

Critics of the deregulation decision said internet service providers will now legally be able to slow down content or charge more money to access particular websites.

But so far, most local internet providers have maintained that users will not experience any changes as a result of the net neutrality decision.

When asked what changes Yucca Telecom customers will see, Internet Technician Manager Brandon Brooks responded “absolutely none.”

“We’re not going to change a thing. We’re not going to filter traffic or filter content,” Brooks said.

Plateau Telecommunications Regulatory Manager Launa Waller provided a statement from the internet provider that says, “Plateau does not censor, block or discriminatorily throttle its customers’ lawful internet usage. For our customers, nothing has changed from when Net Neutrality was in place to now. Plateau does, and always has, supported an ‘open internet.’”

In a blog post from the day before the FCC’s vote titled “Reconfirming Comcast's Commitment to an Open Internet and Net Neutrality,” Comcast Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Office David L. Cohen promised the multi-billion dollar company will not engage in any of the discriminatory practices customers fear.

“Comcast customers will continue to enjoy all of the benefits of an open Internet today, tomorrow, and in the future. Period,” Cohen said.

“We have repeatedly stated, and reiterate today, that we do not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content.”

Suddenlink’s owner Altice USA was one of 21 companies that signed a full-page ad in the Washington Post in May pledging its commitment to an open internet.

“As providers of broadband internet service in many communities across America, we’ve always been committed to an open internet that gives you the freedom to be in charge of your online experience. And that will not change,” the ad read.

“An open internet means that we do not block, throttle, or otherwise impair your online activity. We firmly stand by that commitment because it is good for our customers and good for our business.”

CenturyLink is one of the few service providers that has not yet come out and said it won’t change practices as a result of the FCC’s decision.

“We look forward to working with the FCC to ensure that the internet experience for consumers and businesses, as well as the exchange of internet traffic between providers, remains positive and beneficial to all. However, we are going to wait and review the entire text of the FCC net neutrality order before commenting further to make sure we understand how the order may affect our operations and our customers,” according to a CenturyLink statement from the day after the FCC’s vote.

Peñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative Inc. is an internet service provider that no longer serves Curry and Roosevelt counties but has had to deal with the changes to the net neutrality regulations.

PVT CEO Glenn Lovelace said the company’s customers won’t see any changes to their service.

Lovelace said that smaller internet providers like PVT do not have the weight to throw around to put any of the discriminatory practices into place, adding that multi-billion dollar companies are likely the ones that could pull that off.

“If we went to Netflix and said we’re going to charge you more, Netflix would let out a big belly laugh,” Lovelace said.

“Net neutrality is only two years old. It’s made to be a big deal but it came in effect just two years ago. We had internet before that and we’ll have internet after that.”