President Obama Urges FCC to Protect Net Neutrality, Reclassify Internet as a Utility [Video]

President Obama today asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take steps to protect net neutrality and reclassify consumer broadband services as a utility.

Obama is calling for the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality and said that Internet service providers should tread all Internet traffic equally. His plan would reclassify Internet access under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. This would serve as a "basic acknowledgement of the services ISPs provide to American homes and businesses, and the straightforward obligations necessary to ensure the network works for everyone - not just one or two companies."


Here's the four key steps of Obama's Plan:

● 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.

The President's request of FCC follows over 4 million comments to the agency from members of the public that support net neutrality. Since the FCC is independent, any decision on net neutrality regulations is there's; however, a presidential push is often helpful in getting things done.

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