The head of the FCC, Tom Wheeler, told fellow Commissioners before Christmas that he intends to circulate a draft proposal of new “net neutrality” regulations, with the intention of having a final vote in February. The new draft proposal, the details of which have not been made public, follows a previous proposal by the FCC that collapsed following public outcry in mid-2014.
The FCC’s prior proposal would have allowed internet service providers to create “fast lanes” for companies that could afford the extra cost. Supporters of a free Internet argued the proposal gave internet service providers the ability to censor content they did not support, controlling internet speed to effectively censor such content. Public outcry, the level of which caused the FCC’s website to crash, was unprecedented according to Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron. “In close to a decade of fighting for the open Internet, I’ve never seen more awareness and enthusiasm about this issue,” Aaron said. “Millions of Internet users have flooded the agency with support for real net neutrality. And almost no one outside FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s office is advocating for his pay-to-play proposal.” Several tech companies, including Netflix, Reddit, Mozilla, and Foursquare, joined together to participate in a national day of protest targeting cable companies who support the FCC’s proposal: Internet Slow-Down Day.
FCC spokesperson Kim Hart declined to comment on the details of Wheeler’s latest proposal, only confirming the FCC’s intent to vote in February. Republicans in Congress, seeking to preempt the FCC, have signaled their intent to introduce legislation on “net neutrality” when the new Congress convenes in January. One major piece of the proposed legislation would create a new section of the Communications Act, “Title X,” that would allow the head of the FCC to prevent internet service providers from blocking or slowing internet speed to certain websites, or charging content providers more to provide faster access for their customers. In return, however, the FCC would stop regulating net neutrality using “Title II” of the Communications Act. The prospect of giving more power to the FCC may dissuade many Conservatives, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, from supporting the proposed legislation
Eternal Vigilance 