Protests erupt as Donald Trump-appointed commission votes out Obama-era 'net neutrality' laws

The US Federal Communications Commission has voted to undo sweeping Obama-era "net neutrality" rules that guaranteed equal access to the internet.

The agency's Democrat commissioners dissented in the 3-2 vote on Thursday.

Commentators say the FCC's new rules could usher in big changes in Americans internet usage.

The agency got rid of rules that barred companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from playing favourites with internet apps and sites.

Protests have erupted online and in the streets as everyday Americans worry that cable and phone companies will be able to control what they see and do online.

A number of net-neutrality supporters say they are planning legal challenges. Reports say the Democrat Party hopes to ride that wave of public opinion into the 2018 Senate elections.

The FFC meeting was evacuated before the vote for about 10 minutes due to an unspecified security threat, and resumed after sniffer dogs checked the room.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, said in the run-up to the vote that Republicans were "handing the keys to the Internet€ to a handful of multi-billion dollar corporations".​

Consumers are unlikely to see immediate changes resulting from the rule change, but smaller startups worry the lack of restrictions could drive up costs or lead to their content being blocked.

Internet service providers say they will not block or throttle legal content but that they may engage in paid prioritisation.

They say consumers will see no change and argue that the largely unregulated internet functioned well in the two decades before the 2015 order.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press