Net Neutrality gets big win as FCC seeks to reclassify the internet

Supporters of Net Neutrality got a big win today as FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler revealed his plan to reclassify ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.

"Using this authority, I am submitting to my colleagues the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC," Wheeler said in a statement given to Wired. Under Wheeler's plan, the new rules will "ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services."

"I propose to fully apply—for the first time ever—those bright-line rules to mobile broadband. My proposal assures 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," Wheeler said.

The plan will also "modernize" Title II by guaranteeing there will be "no rate regulation, no tariffs, no last-mile unbundling."

"The internet must be fast, fair and open," Wheeler concluded. "That is the message I’ve heard from consumers and innovators across this nation. That is the principle that has enabled the internet to become an unprecedented platform for innovation and human expression. And that is the lesson I learned heading a tech startup at the dawn of the internet age. The proposal I present to the commission will ensure the internet remains open, now and in the future, for all Americans."