With little advanced comment or fanfare, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released its controversial Report and Order on “Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet.”
Released in mid-March 2015, the FCCs Order reclassifies broadband Internet access as a “telecommunications service,” subject to FCC oversight and regulation under the scope of Title II of the Communications Act. The Order sets what it calls “bright-line rules” that will ban paid prioritization of Internet access, and will also ban the blocking or “throttling” of content by degrading access speeds.
According to FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler, the new rules will “assure 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.”
Read an accompanying statement by FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler.
Read a legal summary of a dissenting statement by FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
