During a public interview at the ongoing International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler announced that the agency intends to vote on new proposed net neutrality rules next February 26. According to Wheeler, the proposal will be circulated to the commissioners on February 5th, giving them a three week window to consider the new rules before the vote.
Wheeler didn't provide details surrounding the new rules proposed, but he did hint that it will reclassify broadband as a Title II utility. He also indicated that the FCC might take a hybrid approach, applying only relevant Title II restrictions to broadband Internet.
Last November President Barack Obama publicly came out in support of net neutrality, asking regulators to reclassify Internet service as a utility. At the time Wheeler didn't officially say whether he would support the president, although some reports believed he would move in a different direction.
He touched upon the issue during the interview, saying, "When the president came out ... there was an effort made to say Wheeler and the president are pulling in opposite directions on this. But that wasn't exactly the reality because we're both pulling in the same directions, which is no blocking, no throttling of applications, and transparency about how we get there."
Wheeler was also quick to add that prioritization may be appropriate in some scenarios, such as an emergency health alert.
"There are instances where priority makes a whole heck of a lot of sense," Wheeler said.
But while the president and Wheeler are now on the same page, not everyone agrees with net neutrality. Many opponents argue that the prioritization of bandwidth is necessary for future innovation on the Internet, and greater regulation will negatively impact the investment in next-generation infrastructure for the Internet. If so, this could quickly stifle growth and could impact the entire economy.
Net neutrality has long been a hotly contested subject amongst politicians and Internet companies alike. Many believe profits and corporate disfavor of controversial viewpoints, or competing services, could change both what you can see on the Internet and the quality of your connection.
With the new technologies available that allow companies to scrutinize every bit of information transmitted through the Internet, the danger that this data will be used and manipulated for the benefits of just a few is ever present. Opponents, on the other hand, believe added regulations will destroy the innovation of the Internet and prevent its evolution, while at the same time making it difficult for companies to provide the quality of service that is often demanded by its users.
