Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the US government, which has primary authority for communications laws, regulation and technological innovation. It acts as the federal regulatory authority for radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable communications.

The Commission’s main goals include: promoting competition, innovation and investment in broadband services and facilities; creating and ensuring an appropriate competitive framework in the telecommunications sector; encouraging the highest and best use of spectrum domestically and internationally; revising media regulations so that new technologies flourish alongside diversity and localism; and contributing to strengthening the defense of the  communications infrastructure within the country. 

In 2015, the Commission adopted a set of rules in favour of network neutrality. Entered into force in June 2015, the rules ban three practices considered by FCC to harm the open Internet: blocking of lawful content, applications, services or devices;  impairing or degrading lawful internet traffic on the basis of content, application, or service (throttling), and paid prioritisation of certain content, applications or services.