The FCC will soon vote on net neutrality, and while the actual plan they’ll be voting on is still under wraps, it looks like they’ll be proposing the most controversial approach: treating the internet like a utility by regulating it under Title II of the Communications Act.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler “all but confirmed” that this will be the FCC’s approach, the Hill reported Wednesday.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Wheeler hinted heavily at Title II regulation: “There are many parts of Title II that are inappropriate and would thwart investment, but a model has been set in the wireless business that has billions of dollars of investment,” Wheeler said. “We’re going to propose rules that say that no blocking (is allowed), no throttling, no paid prioritization.”
“We ought to take a look at how that fits together with … making sure that we have open access,” he continued. “You walk the floor [of the electronics trade show] and that’s the message that comes across to me.”
President Obama came out in favor of Title II regulation late last year, and initially reports indicated that Wheeler did not support his proposition. The FCC is an independent agency, so Obama’s recommendations are technically not binding. But at CES, Wheeler pushed back against the suggestion that he and the president disagreed: “There was an effort to say ‘Wheeler and the president are pulling at opposite directions on this,’ which made for good headlines but wasn’t exactly reality because we’re both pulling in the same direction, which is no blocking, no throttling of applications, no paid prioritization and transparency.”
Not all advocates for net neutrality want Title II regulation, and a number of civil rights advocates adamantly oppose it for the negative effect it could have on low-income families.
Democratic senators praised Wheeler’s remarks, with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) tweeting he is “Glad to hear @TomWheelerFCC listen to consumers, innovators & biz.”
Republican congressmen have made clear that they will oppose Title II regulation, which they argue will hamper innovation by forcing twenty-first century technology into 1930s-era regulations.
