Could our access to the internet soon be changing?

It's a digital world, and whether it's for work or entertainment, many Americans depend on the internet every day.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed scaling back regulations.

The new plan would repeal net neutrality rules set by the FCC in 2015, which say there should be open and equal access to the internet.

"If a service partner is partnered with a particular streaming TV company or they have their own in-house social media service, they may prioritize traffic to that,” said Adam Goldstein, who teaches cybersecurity and networking at Champlain College.

Goldstein told us what this could mean for people at home trying to access sites, like Facebook or Netflix.

"They may receive lower quality. They may see delays or slower load times if the service is being throttled or just if other traffic is being prioritized ahead of that other service," he said.

But Pai says the federal government should stop micromanaging the internet. The chairman believes the current rules are holding back expansion and investments. He said, in a statement, that under his proposal, "Consumers can buy the service plan that's best for them and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate."

Still, Vermont’s congressional delegation has spoken out against this idea.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, says the decision would hurt small businesses.

"It actually smothers competition," Leahy told WCAX News. "We have a lot of companies that are now doing very well in Vermont, but they say they never would have gotten a start if it wasn't for net neutrality."

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, said, "This proposal is a wholesale abandonment of the FCC's core responsibility to protect the interests of consumers and an early Christmas present to big telecom companies."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, added, "Companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon will be able to divide the internet into slow and fast lanes, charge more, control what you see and block access to websites."

Goldstein points out that it's unclear what service providers would do if the proposal went through.

"Those providers will be required to publish and have transparency around which restrictions or what services they may be charging for,” said Goldstein.

Pai says he will publicly release his proposal Wednesday, and that the commission will vote on it Dec.14.

There have already been net neutrality supporters who have threatened to challenge a yes-decision with litigation.