Horowitz: FCC Chair Stands Tall On Net Neutrality

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Rob Horowitz, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

Rob Horowitz

Tom Wheeler, Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), last week unveiled a strong and effective regulatory approach to ensuring net neutrality-- the right of all users on the internet to be treated equally. Responding to President Obama’s direction to take strong steps in the wake of a court decision that struck down the existing rules, Wheeler’s proposes to use the FCC’s strong Title II authority to treat broadband internet services in much the same way phone services and companies are overseen.

As Tom Wheeler wrote in an opinion piece published in Wired Magazine, “I am submitting to my colleagues the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC. These enforceable, bright-line rules will ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services. I propose to fully apply—for the first time ever—those bright-line rules to mobile broadband. My proposal assures the rights of internet users to go where they want, when they want, and the rights of innovators to introduce new products without asking anyone’s permission."

While companies like Comcast and Verizon, who stood to make billions by providing ‘fast lanes’ on the internet to companies willing to pay a premium are strongly opposed to this new and tougher regulation, the public is overwhelmingly on Wheeler’s side. More than 8 in 10 Americans support net neutrality, according to poll conducted only a few months ago by University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communications. As the Washington Post’s Wonkblog reported, support for net neutrality and ‘opposition to ‘so-called fast lanes’, cuts across party lines and demographic groups. For example, 81% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans share this position.

This is why Comcast and others profess that they support the concept of net neutrality, but oppose any regulatory scheme with the teeth needed to guarantee it. Fortunately, this is an issue that engages many people as evidenced by the nearly 4 million comments the FCC has received. This will make it very difficult to water down the new rules in Congress without anyone paying attention.

Wheeler’s proposal is very likely to be adopted by the FCC as a whole, since there is currently a 3-2 Democratic Majority. There will, of course, be a court challenge, but the FCC seems to be on very solid legal ground.

Tom Wheeler writes ‘The proposal I present to the commission will ensure the internet remains open, now and in the future, for all Americans.”

Amen to that.

Rob Horowitz is a strategic and communications consultant who provides general consulting, public relations, direct mail services and polling for national and state issue organizations, various non-profits and elected officials and candidates. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island

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