FCC Chairman Said to Reconsider Net Neutrality Proposal
A previous proposal has raised wide concerns that the FCC would authorize broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast to charge content providers like Netflix a premium for faster access to the Internet, ostensibly creating fast and slow lanes on the Web.
May 12, 2014
By Josh Long
Following pushback from his Democratic colleagues and a deluge of public concerns, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is revising proposed Net neutrality regulations.
A previous proposal has raised wide concerns that the FCC would authorize broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast to charge content providers like Netflix a premium for faster access to the Internet, ostensibly creating fast and slow lanes on the Web.
An FCC official told The Wall Street Journal the new draft would seek comment on whether paid priority deals should be banned and look to prohibit big broadband providers from forging agreements with content companies on terms that aren’t offered to others. Wheeler also will make explicit that the agency will scrutinize agreements to ensure broadband providers don’t unfairly place nonpaying companies’ content at a disadvantage, the Journal said.
Last week, the FCC’s two Democratic commissioners, Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai, called on the FCC to delay its May 15 meeting on Net neutrality. Some of the world’s biggest Internet companies – including Google, Facebook and Yahoo – have expressed grave concerns with Wheeler’s proposal.