With a 3-2 vote in December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed the Open Internet Order, claiming the move would provide better Internet access to Americans.

The Open Internet Order, originally designed to uphold the principle of net neutrality, protected the consumer’s right to free and equal access to the Internet, without interference from service providers. However, the repeal of the order actually means that access restrictions imposed by providers are now officially supported by law, which contradicts FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s claims that it would “bring faster, better and cheaper Internet access to all Americans.”

Internet service providers, or ISPs, who provide Internet access, can then “block your access to certain services and websites online. They can throttle or slow down your service and they can also set up pay prioritization schemes that allow them to prefer some content over others based on how companies pay to get access to average consumers,” said Chris Lewis, vice president of Public Knowledge, a net neutrality organization.

The end of net neutrality triggered protests across the US. Individuals, along with network giants such as Netflix and Google, expressed their opposition to a move that would increase the cost of using the Internet.

In 2013, Comcast imposed limits on Netflix’s video streaming bandwidth, resulting in a drop of over 25 percent in average speeds that year. Within two months of agreeing to pay an additional access fee in January 2014, speeds increased by 66 percent. Subsequently, however, Netflix increased its monthly subscription by two US dollars.

The US government isn’t just depriving its citizens of free and equal access to the Internet, but also invading the privacy of Internet users. In April 2017, US President Donald Trump signed a revised version of the Online Privacy Protection Act, allowing service providers to track the browsing habits, and personal and financial data, of users for the purpose of delivering more targeted advertising.

However, the global trend of the Internet is becoming faster, cheaper and more open. For example, the European Union eliminated data roaming charges among its member countries in June 2017, and China pledged to reduce data roaming fees and speed up broadband in China within 2018. The US government has opted to head in the opposite direction, casting a shadow over the prospects of the Internet becoming truly open and free.

“The United States has hijacked the development of the Internet in order to support certain interest groups,” said Huang Rihan, a researcher at the Center for China and Globalization. “This new privacy act is designed for selfish interests and commercial profit. The truth is, personal privacy and freedom are being severely violated.”