FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on just what's at stake with net neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission is schedule to vote on Thursday to remove just about any and every regulation on internet providers.

Mignon Clyburn, the longest-serving commissioner on the FCC, has a message for you.

"We used to talk about clean water. We used to talk about good roads," Clyburn said during an interview for the Mashable podcast Biz Please. "Now, this is the information superhighway, and the opportunities are unbound when it comes to it. So when we talk about opportunities for our communities and how we get from where we are now to where we desire to go in an expedited fashion, technology is the key and connectivity is essential."

It's that connectivity that is at stake. The FCC's vote is expected to usher in a new era of deregulation of internet providers — most crucially removing the government regulator's ability to enforce net neutrality rules.

This essentially hands major internet providers including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast the ability to start manipulating internet traffic for profit. Net neutrality proponents argue that this will destroy everything great about the internet — its openness and fairness as a level playing field — and result in a corporate-controlled network akin to cable TV.

Clyburn did not mince words about her mindset headed into the vote.

"I approach my nearly 19 years in regulation, I look at this as the most difficult week of my entire regulatory career," she said.

The FCC is led by five commissioners, one of whom serves as chairperson. In this case, Ajit Pai is the current chairman and pushing to change the FCC's rules when it comes to ensuring net neutrality. Presidents appoint the commissioners and almost always install three commissioners of their party (including the chairperson), along with two commissioners from the other party.

During the Barack Obama administration, Clyburn served alongside fellow Democrats Jessica Rosenworcel and chairman Tom Wheeler, as well as Republicans Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly. Under Wheeler's chairmainship, Clyburn emerged as one of the strongest advocates for the FCC to ensure that the regulator did everything it could to ensure net neutrality.

She succeeded. Wheeler, who had at one time considered keeping the "light tough" approach, was convinced and moved to have the FCC put internet providers under stricter regulation that just about guaranteed net neutrality. Wheeler, Rosenworcel, and Clyburn cast the historic votes.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler (C) holds hands with FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn (L) and Jessica Rosenworcel during an open hearing on Net Neutrality at the FCC headquarters February 26, 2015 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images

The election of Donald Trump marked the start of serious changes for the FCC. Trump appointed Pai as chairman, who immediately began the necessary steps to undo the changes that had solidified net neutrality.

Now, with the vote looking to be almost a formality, Clyburn is already seeing internet providers walk back promises to maintain net neutrality.

"The potential repealing of these rules is already having an effect with one of the dominant internet service providers that is no longer committing to the same net neutrality protections that they did when we passed the 2015 rules," she said.

"Consumers have to continue to speak up," she said, recommending people reach out to the FCC but also local government to make sure they're aware of any shady activities.