The Federal Communications Commission approved new rules that will govern how Internet providers treat web traffic and services. The divided 3-2 vote on Tuesday marks a major victory for FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who has spent more than a year trying to craft a compromise. Known as "net neutrality," the rules prohibit phone and cable companies from favoring or discriminating against Internet content and services, such as those from rivals. The new rules were met with mixed reactions from both sides of the net neutrality debate. The vote was along party lines, with FCC Democrats voting to pass the new regulations and two Republicans opposing the rules, calling them an “unnecessary regulation.” The rules are likely to face challenges in the new Congress once Republicans take over. Public interest groups are not impressed, calling the regulations “too weak.” Genachowski and top Democrats argue that the new rules represents progress on an issue that has been delayed in political squabbling for years.
“Given the importance of an open Internet to our economic future … it is essential that the FCC fulfill its historic role as a cop on the beat to ensure the vitality of our communications networks and to empower and protect consumers of those networks,” Genachowski said at the meeting. The White House is also claiming victory. President Obama made net neutrality a campaign promise and the new rules allow his administration to show development on the issue. “As technology and the market continue to evolve at a rapid pace, my administration will remain vigilant and see to it that innovation is allowed to flourish, that consumers are protected from abuse, and that the democratic spirit of the Internet remains intact,” Obama said in a statement.
The new rules, adapted by the FCC, will require broadband providers to let subscribers access all legal online content, applications and services over their wired networks, including online calling services, Internet video and other Web applications that compete with their primary businesses. But the rules give broadband providers flexibility to manage data on their systems to deal with problems such as network congestion and unwanted traffic including spam as long as they publicly disclose their network management practices. Genachowski said the regulations will prohibit broadband providers from abusing their control over the on-ramps that consumers use to get onto the Internet. He said the companies won’t be able to determine where their customers can go and what they can do online.
"Today, for the first time, we are adopting rules to preserve basic Internet values," Genachowski said. "For the first time, we’ll have enforceable rules of the road to preserve Internet freedom and openness."
Although two of the Democrats serving on the FCC admit the rules did not go far enough, they voted to accept the new rules, concluding some safeguards are better than none. Republicans on Capitol Hill vowed to try to block the new regulations. The debate on net neutrality is far from over.
