Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States against all the odds, and he will be sworn into power on Jan. 20 of next year.
With Trump ascending to the presidency, experts and investors in the telecommunications industry believe that the chances of outgoing President Obama's net neutrality rules being rolled back have significantly been heightened.
The Progress Of Net Neutrality
The net neutrality rules, which were implemented by the Federal Communication Commission in early 2015, look to prevent data throttling and the creation of paid fast lanes on the internet. Broadband providers were required to treat all forms of content passing through their networks equally, as they are not allowed to speed up content from companies paying more or to slow down or block content coming from other sources.
The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the net neutrality rules in June, in what is considered to be a major victory for the Obama administration, streaming services and consumers. Cable and telecommunications companies have since said that they will be appealing the decision, and it looks like they will be gaining a powerful ally in the president of the United States.
Net Neutrality At Risk
Trump was known to have criticized the net neutrality rules when President Obama started to push for them in late 2014. With the Republican presidential nominee now having won the election, there is a growing belief that Trump will be scaling back the reach of the regulations.
The chance of the net neutrality rules being toned down, or perhaps even abolished completely, is further increased by the fact that the Republican Party has grabbed hold of both the White House and Congress. Trump's fellow Republicans have also been vocal against the net neutrality laws, though their support for challenges against the regulations have so far failed.
Trump's stance against the regulation of the industry could also mean limitations on the proposed expansion of broadband in the country. While Trump has mentioned a mission to bring high-speed internet to the rural parts of the United States and lower the cost so that low-income families will be able to access the service, the plan has so far been vague.
Trump On AT&T And Time Warner Merger
Meanwhile, Trump has also previously said that he will be blocking the $85 billion merger of AT&T and Time Warner if he would be elected as the next president. Trump said that the deal would give AT&T too much power.
AT&T officials are now hoping that the deal would be able to win Trump's approval despite his earlier objection.
