U.S. President Barack Obama Urges FCC to Uphold Net Neutrality
November 13, 2014
President Barack Obama posted an essay on November 10 to the website Medium arguing for net neutrality, the idea that all data that flows over the Internet should be treated equally. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently considering new rules for net neutrality. The rules could regulate Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) to ensure that net neutrality is upheld. However, many have expressed concern that the rules could leave gaping loopholes. While noting the FCC’s independence, Obama echoed those concerns in his essay and asked the FCC to uphold them.
U.S. President Barack Obama discusses net neutrality in a video aired on November 10, 2014. (White House photo)
Internet data travels in signals, called packets, that move through the Internet’s “net” of routers and wires. ISP’s typically provide the so-called “last mile” connection from the Internet to a user’s home. Net neutrality supporters worry that ISP’s may block, slow down, or charge extra for certain kinds of data, such as websites from rival companies. They also argue that access to Internet information has become a necessity, much like access to water or postal services, and thus should be subject to stricter regulations that govern utilities.
ISP’s have argued that they need technological leeway to manage their traffic and worried that strong net neutrality regulations might cripple their ability to do so. Earlier this year, the video streaming site Netflix began paying two ISP’s—Comcast and Verizon—for faster access to their networks. While the arrangements—called paid peering—did not affect how the ISP’s sorted traffic on their own networks, net neutrality supporters argued that such “fast lanes” could still discriminate against certain kinds of Internet traffic.
Obama did not explicitly say such arrangements should be banned, but he argued that they should be transparent. The FCC had sought to impose net neutrality regulations in previous years, but courts struck them down in January—thus the need for new rules.
- Additional World Book articles:
- Internet (a Back in Time article-2010)
- Internet (a Back in Time article-2009)
- Internet (a Back in Time article-2008)
