President Obama in a video Monday called on the Federal Communications Commission to “implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality,” upping pressure on the agency to revise rules that critics contend would create Internet “fast lanes” for wealthy corporations.
“Net neutrality has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation — but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted,” the president said. “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 Federal Communications Commission to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.”
In recent months, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed rules that would allow broadband providers to charge websites for faster service. Critics contend that such an arrangement would give large companies exclusive access to so-called fast lanes and make it easier for them to pass such costs on to consumers.
Since then, the FCC has been inundated with more than 4 million comments on the rules — and Wheeler, a former cable and wireless industry lobbyist, has been accused of doing the bidding of Comcast and other companies that would benefit from the rules.
Obama, who supported the idea of net neutrality as a 2008 presidential candidate, has repeatedly said the FCC is an independent agency. But the video on Monday sent a clear signal on where he stands on the issue.
“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,” he said. “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.”
