The United States Federal Communications Commission is being urged by researchers not to tamper with net-neutrality, one of the founding cornerstones of the world wide web.
Net neutrality means that internet service providers (ISPs) must move all data at the same speed. However, the commission’s chairman Ajit Pai (pictured), a former technology executive appointed by US president Donald Trump, is proposing new rules under which users could be charged more if they wanted websites to load faster or emails to arrive quicker.
It is likely that the big tech firms such as Google, Amazon and Facebook will benefit, as they will be able to pass on the additional costs to their customers. In contrast, websites of libraries, public organisations including governments and universities would be left on slower speeds.
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