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Obama Backs Stricter Net Neutrality Rules |
| Source: |
totaltele.com |
| Source Date: |
Monday, November 10, 2014 |
| Focus: |
ICT for MDGs
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| Country: |
United States |
| Created: |
Nov 18, 2014 |
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U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.
In a video message hosted on the White House Website, Obama said the FCC should adopt Title II of the Communications Act as the legal framework for regulating the Internet as opposed to the lighter-touch approach afforded by section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. Implementing Title II would reclassify Internet service providers as common carriers, subjecting them to much stricter rules governing charges and the treatment of traffic on their networks.
"The idea of net neutrality has unleashed the power of the Internet and given innovators the chance to thrive. Abandoning these principles would threaten to end the Internet as we know it," said Obama, in the video.
"For most Americans, the Internet has become an essential part of everyday communication and everyday life," he said. "That's why I'm urging the Federal Communications Commission to do everything it can to protect net neutrality for everyone."
More specifically, Obama said an ISP should not be allowed to block legal content, or intentionally throttle some content or speed up access to others based on its preferences. He also said the FCC should consider applying net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between ISPs and transport networks to prevent Web services being discriminated against. In addition, Obama also called for an explicit ban on paid prioritisation.
"The FCC is an independent agency, and ultimately this decision is theirs alone, but the public has already commented nearly 4 million times asking the FCC to make sure that consumers, not the cable company, gets to decide which sites they use," he said.
FCC chairman Tom Wheeler welcomed the President's input.
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