White House Asks FCC to Classify Internet as a Utility
Nov 10, 2014, 9:58 AM by Eric M. Zeman
President Barack Obama today sided with the concept of net neutrality and laid out a plan to keep the internet open. "We cannot allow internet service providers to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas. That is why today, I am asking the FCC to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality," said Obama in a statement published by The White House. Obama believes the FCC can create the right legal framework to ensure the internet remains an open marketplace. He called upon the agency to reclassify consumer broadband service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, which would effectively define it as a utility moving forward. This would give the FCC much broader power to regulate how broadband companies behave in providing internet access to consumers. Obama wants to see internet suppliers prevented from blocking content and throttling internet speeds. He wants to see increased transparency between IPSs and their customers. Obama also believes paid prioritization need to be kiboshed. "No service should be stuck in a 'slow lane' because it does not pay a fee," he said. Net neutrality has been a battleground for internet providers, consumers, and policy makers for a decade. To-date, the FCC has declined to go so far as classifying the internet as a utility, and broadband providers have fought this notion tooth and nail. Obama acknowledged that the FCC is an independent agency, which will ultimately make its own decision. He hopes, however, the FCC will make the right one in this case. "The internet has been one of the greatest gifts our economy — and our society — has ever known. The FCC was chartered to promote competition, innovation, and investment in our networks. In service of that mission, there is no higher calling than protecting an open, accessible, and free Internet," concluded Obama.
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