Today the Federal Communications Commission voted on adopting a new set of policies that would enable it to regulate broadband Internet access.
The new policy, referred to as “net neutrality” due to its aim to make access to the Internet neutral and equal for everyone, was passed with a vote of 3-2.
Elise Hu, a reporter from NPR, released a simple definition of what net neutrality is in an NPR story.
“Your Internet service provider should be a neutral gateway to everything on the Internet,” Hu said. “Not a gatekeeper deciding to load some sites slower than others or impose fees for faster service.”
The Chairman of the FCC, Tom Wheeler, voiced his support for net neutrality following its passage of the new policy.
“No one, whether government or corporate, should control free access to the Internet,” Wheeler said in a public statement.
The new policy has three main goals that the FCC wants to achieve. “No blocking”, which means that Internet service providers would not be able to block access to content; “no throttling”, which means that ISPs would not be able to impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic and “no paid prioritization,” which means that broadband providers may not favor some lawful Internet traffic in exchange for consideration.
Daniel Metz
