With just over a week left as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler today accused AT&T and Verizon Wireless of violating net neutrality rules with paid data cap exemptions. But with the FCC about to switch to Republican control after next week’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, AT&T and Verizon can likely keep doing what they’re doing without any chance of punishment.
Wheeler described his views in a letter to US senators who had expressed concern about the data cap exemptions, or “zero-rating.” FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staff today also issued a report concluding that AT&T and Verizon zero-rating programs are unfair to competitors. Both Wheeler’s letter and the staff report can be read in full here.
