Washington, DC -- Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Wheeler outlined the details of his proposal to protect net neutrality. In a blog post, Chairman Wheeler confirmed that the FCC plans to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act and implement bright line rules that apply to both wired and wireless networks. The Commissioners will review the draft rules over the next three weeks and are expected to vote on a final order at the FCC’s next open meeting on February 26.
The following statement can be attributed to Alan Davidson, Vice President of New America and Director of the Open Technology Institute:
“The Internet has flourished because people have the power to choose for themselves what they see and do online. The approach proposed by the FCC Chairman today would protect the free and open Internet for a next generation of broadband Internet users. It appears to offer strong protections for both wired and wireless Internet access, grounded in a measured way with the legal authority needed to enforce those rules. We look forward to learning more about the details and to working with the FCC to produce the best rules possible.”
The following statement can be attributed to Sarah Morris, Senior Policy Counsel for New America’s Open Technology Institute:
“The Chairman’s plan to reclassify broadband as a Title II service is a tremendous win for consumers. Title II gives the FCC clear, bounded legal authority to implement strong network neutrality rules and the ability to continue to assess and address harms as they arise. We applaud Chairman Wheeler for taking this important, long-awaited step to protect consumers and innovators.
“The proposed approach would include strong, bright-line protections against blocking, discrimination, and prioritization of content on both wired and wireless networks. These rules would cover important, identified consumer harms, particularly when combined with the rulemaking and interpretive authority that the FCC would have under Title II. While we will continue to assess the precise details of this plan, particularly the application of the rules to protect consumers directly affected by business disputes at the point of interconnection onto the last mile, the framework outlined in the Chairman’s blog post is a sound and deeply encouraging one.”
Expert Contacts
Alan Davidson
Director, Open Technology Institute
Vice President, New America
(202) 596-3426
davidson@opentechinstitute.org
Sarah Morris
Senior Policy Counsel, Open Technology Institute
(202) 596-3409
sarmorris@opentechinstitute.org
Tags:
-
New America