Obama Steps In On Net Neutrality: ‘Keep The Internet Open And Free’

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  • Source: www.youtube.com / Via: www.youtube.com

    The White House today launched its net neutrality initiative, accompanying a video message from President Obama urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action to prevent providers from placing unnecessary gateways on Internet traffic. From his statement:

    I believe the FCC should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online. The rules I am asking for are simple, common-sense steps that reflect the Internet you and I use every day, and that some ISPs already observe.

    These rules include making it illegal for Internet providers to block certain websites or throttle speeds.

    Now, in order to do this, the FCC would have to reclassify consumer broadband service as a utility under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. As Mashable writes, this would enable the FCC to circumvent a DC Court of Appeals ruling from January that said the agency did not have the authority to regulate broadband providers.

    Of course, members of the right have already jumped to label Obama’s message as a “government takeover” of the Internet.

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

    ….while others are poking fun at the telecom industry’s poor reputation.

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

    …and others are just cynical about the whole thing, given that if Obama said he liked turkey sandwiches, about 25 million Americans would vehemently oppose it.

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

    …and we’re not even sure what The Iron Shiek thinks about the whole thing.

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

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