After Net Neutrality Deregulation: Internet Billing Changes

With net neutrality rules lifted, carriers are already tightening consumer Internet billing costs on service packages and adding surcharges and fees.

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LA TIMES

By David Lazarus

Thursday’s the day that the Trump administration will overturn former President Obama’s rules protecting consumers from greedy telecom companies manipulating Internet access and pricing.

I got a preview of what’s to come over the weekend as my Spectrum internet bill soared by 20 percent — and as I encountered the take-it-or-leave-it policy imposed by Spectrum’s owner, Charter Communications, which purchased Time Warner Cable last year.

The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote along party lines this week to end net neutrality. That’s the policy ensuring broadband providers such as phone and cable companies can’t give preferential treatment to anyone — their own streaming-video service, say, over Netflix.

Continue reading to learn about Internet billing and added consumer fees on LATimes.com.