U.S. President Barack Obama recently released a video with a strong plea to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make stronger rules concerning net neutrality.
This video comes hot on the heels of a recently leaked FCC proposal that would subject Internet service providers (ISPs) to regulation, but also allow for Internet fast lanes, giving some companies faster service than others, as long as these fast lanes don't hurt competition.
This leaked proposal led to nationwide protests over the weekend aimed at both the FCC and President Obama. Activists argue that ISPs should be designated as common carriers, the same as public utilities, subjecting those companies to more government regulation. Proponents believe this would prevent the establishment of Internet fast lanes.
Considering that most, including President Obama, have spoken out in support of full net neutrality, many U.S. citizens are perplexed by the FCC's new proposal. Although the agency has reached out to the public, it almost seems as if it's not getting the message that the majority of Americans want full net neutrality and do not want Internet fast lanes.
President Obama's new video reiterates that message.
"'Net neutrality' has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation— but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted," says Obama. "We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas. That is why today, I am asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality."
President Obama's plan would prevent ISPs from blocking content from any and all American consumers. It would also prevent throttling, so that no content is slowed down while other content is sped up. This means that ISPs could not ask companies for more money to speed up their websites. Obama also called for increased transparency from ISPs.
In the end, though, the FCC is its own independent agency, which means the ultimate decision is theirs. However, this is the strongest message yet from the President about the issue, and his opinion is backed by an overwhelming majority of American consumers.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the FCC may waive ruling on net neutrality until next year.
[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
