The two new FCC rules would govern how Internet service providers such as AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Cable Inc. manage their networks, enshrining so-called “network neutrality" into the agency's policy. Under the proposal from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, network operators would be prohibited from discriminating against the type of data traveling through their systems and would have to be clear about how they manage their networks.
The rules would apply to Internet access no matter how it is delivered -- over coaxial cable, fiber-optic lines or wirelessly on mobile devices.
“The rise of serious challenges to the free and open Internet puts us at a crossroads. We could see the Internet's doors shut to entrepreneurs, the spirit of innovation stifled, a full and free flow of information compromised," Genachowski said today in a speech at the Brookings Institution think tank. “Or we could take steps to preserve Internet openness, helping ensure a future of opportunity, innovation and a vibrant marketplace."
Genachowski's proposals, which would have to be approved by the FCC, follow President Obama's support for network neutrality during the 2008 presidential campaign.
The issue has become a major cause in recent years for Internet activists and many Democratic lawmakers who worry that large telecommunications companies will squeeze out competitors offering video and other services or charge websites fees to have their pages delivered faster to users.
Since 2005, the FCC has had four Internet principles assuring that Internet users can access any legal content, application or service and allowing them to attach any device to the Internet as long as it doesn't harm the network.
Genachowski proposes to strengthen those guiding principles by making them formal rules and add the two new rules prohibiting network operators from slowing certain applications or website access and mandating that operators clearly state their policies. He also wants to extend all the rules to wireless Internet service.
