FCC moving to require 'net neutrality' by providers
— -- The federal government Monday plans to propose rules that would bar Internet service providers — phone, cable, satellite and wireless — from blocking or hobbling online services in any fashion.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will lay out his plan in a speech today at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., says Colin Crowell, Genachowski's senior counselor.
The FCC chief will propose a formal rulemaking, known as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or NPRM, and solicit comments from industry.
The proposal would block AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and other broadband providers from slowing or blocking services or content, such as TV shows, over the Internet. Blocking spam and performing security functions to protect networks still would be permitted.
The FCC's rules would not apply to Web content giants such as Google, or device makers such as Apple, which aren't regulated by the FCC.
Genachowski's move follows through on President Obama's campaign pledge last fall to support "net neutrality," which is the notion that all Web content should be treated fairly.
"The FCC wants to make sure that access to the Internet is open, fair, transparent and non-discriminatory," Crowell says.
Assuming the plan becomes the law of the land, the new rules would take effect after a public comment period that will likely last until spring. Rules for the mobile Web would probably be phased in over several years. The lag owes in part to the complexity of wireless products and how consumers use them.
The FCC's plan would bring legal force to the agency's four existing "Internet principles," which are widely viewed as guidelines. It would also extend regulation to wireless companies, which are currently lightly regulated by the FCC.
Adopted in 2005, the principles hold that consumers should have access to any Internet content, using any application and device they want.
The FCC plans to add a fifth principle requiring "non-discrimination," meaning Internet service providers must treat all content fairly and can't hobble competitors. A sixth principle — aimed at making network management techniques "transparent" to customers and rivals — will also be added, Crowell says.
Related Stories
ABC News Live