Yesterday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler “came out” in support of strong net neutrality regulations that he says will ensure “the rights of internet users to go where they want, when they want, and the rights of innovators to introduce new products without asking anyone’s permission.”
Net-neutrality advocates everywhere celebrated, as this victory comes after a nearly year-long public campaign that pressured the FCC to enact stronger regulations. Over 4 million people (more than any proceeding before this) filed comments with the FCC. Even President Obama sided with the public and urged the FCC to enact the “strongest possible” rules.
I hope you haven’t clicked out of this post yet, because, if you’re an owner of a small business, this definitely concerns you! Net neutrality means your business’s website won’t load slower than a giant company like Amazon’s; it means there is no preferential treatment online. Do you believe all Internet content should be delivered equally? Then you should definitely be celebrating with the rest of us.
To ensure that all businesses are able to compete fairly, we need an Internet that’s free and open to everyone!
Internet providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T did not take this news so well. They warn that “treating the Internet like a utility will strangle investment” and lead to bad service for everyone. But the reality is that this proposal will only legally enforce the status quo, making it illegal to force people to pay for privilege. Which is how it should be.
So what’s Wheeler’s plan of action?
The net neutrality pr
oposal will:
- Ba
- n Internet providers from intentionally blocking or slowing legal online content.
- Ban Internet providers from charging websites for access to special Internet “fast lanes.”
- Include a provision that will address “unanticipated future abuses” so Internet providers won’t be allowed to “harm” consumers or websites.
- Classify broadband as “a telecommunications service” under Title II of the Communications Act.
- “Modernize” Title II, which includes waiving the provisions that control prices and require providers to let competitors to use their networks.
- Enact provisions that require broadband providers to protect their customers’ privacy and ensure access for people with disabilities.
- Give the FCC authority to police disputes about “congestion on the backend of the Internet.” (This means websites can file complaints if they think providers aren’t being reasonable in offering access to load traffic on their websites.)
These changes, among others, will be voted on at the end of February.
“The Internet must be fast, fair, and open,” Wheeler wrote in his Wired op-ed yesterday. “That is the principle that has enabled the Internet to become an unprecedented platform for innovation and human expression.”