Today the president (on the White House website http://www.whitehouse.gov/) called upon the FCC to guard the openness of the internet and prevent the creation of “fast and slow lanes”. The full video and the full text of the speech are at the link above after clicking on “learn more”. Essentially the president is suggesting a reclassification of the internet as a utility.
Essentially He’s advocating:
“The rules I am asking for are simple, common-sense steps that reflect the Internet you and I use every day, and that some ISPs already observe. These bright-line rules include:
- No blocking. If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP should not be permitted to block it. That way, every player — not just those commercially affiliated with an ISP — gets a fair shot at your business.
- No throttling. Nor should ISPs be able to intentionally slow down some content or speed up others — through a process often called “throttling” — based on the type of service or your ISP’s preferences.
- Increased transparency. The connection between consumers and ISPs — the so-called “last mile” — is not the only place some sites might get special treatment. So, I am also asking the FCC to make full use of the transparency authorities the court recently upheld, and if necessary to apply net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between the ISP and the rest of the Internet.
- No paid prioritization. Simply put: No service should be stuck in a “slow lane” because it does not pay a fee. That kind of gatekeeping would undermine the level playing field essential to the Internet’s growth. So, as I have before, I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect.” – President Obama
He also advocates careful crafting to prevent undue burden on the ISPs, while admitting:
“The FCC is an independent agency, and ultimately this decision is theirs alone,” Obama added. “I believe the FCC should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online.” – ibid
This will be hotly contested by advocates of the Telecommunications industry (the current FCC Chairman is one).
You can learn more about Net Neutrality here: http://time.com/102268/net-neutrality-facts/ and in posts I have made to WC (search through JoeUser).
Source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov
Update:
No FCC vote until 2015.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30019413