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AT&T CEO Bashes FCC, Says Net Neutrality Rules ‘Bad For The Industry’

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Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
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The CEO of AT&T Randall Stephenson heavily criticized the government’s proposed rules on net neutrality that aim to treat all internet traffic equally through use of regulations and oversight.

Stephenson specifically called out the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “zero-rating” plan on Tuesday, which would mandate that internet service providers (ISP) not charge customers for data use on certain applications. (RELATED: Net Neutrality Policy Analysts Caught Red-Handed On Big Tech’s Payroll)

“We got a really aggressive letter from the Federal Communications Commission about zero-rating — that’s regulating pricing,” Stephenson said at a conference, according to The New York Post, adding that the rules are “a bad idea and bad for the industry.” (RELATED: Internet Crashes Will Be Hard To Stop After Obama’s Internet Giveaway)

The government worries that more powerful ISP’s, like AT&T, would be able to exact charges for data received from video streaming companies like Netflix and Hulu, but offer its own content for free. The FCC fears that by creating a gap in costs, less established companies will not be able to flourish.

But corporations like AT&T, Verizon, IBM and Intel, believe treating all data on the Internet the same and essentially making it a public utility will limit competition and decrease incentives to innovate.

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