Net neutrality in the U.S. is once again the subject of heated debate after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday released a document laying out the regulations it voted in last month.
The U.S. regulator narrowly voted in favour of a dopting a modified version of Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 as the legal framework for regulating net neutrality a fortnight ago. As a result, broadband providers – fixed and mobile – are reclassified as common carriers, opening them up to closer scrutiny over how they manage traffic on their networks.
The FCC has now released its full Open Internet Order, a weighty tome that it claims will "separate fact from fiction" when it comes to net neutrality.
In an accompanying statement Tom Wheeler, the FCC’s chairman, reiterated the regulator’s goal of making broadband networks fast, fair and open.
He also addressed one of the most frequently made complaints about the new rules: that they are out of date.
"This modernised Title II will ensure the FCC can rely on the strongest legal foundation to preserve and protect an open Internet," he said, going on to emphasis the word "modernised".
"We have heard endless repetition of the talking point that ‘Title II is old-style, 1930’s monopoly regulation.’ It’s a good sound bite, but it is misleading when used to describe the modernised version of Title II in this Order," Wheeler insisted.
Verizon has been one of the most vocal opponents of the new Order, pointing out that Title II was originally drawn up as long ago as 1934.
Doubtless the U.S. telco, and myriad other industry stakeholders, will have further comments to make when they have fully digested the Open Internet Order, which at several hundred pages long could take some time.
