Wheeler Makes It Official: It's Title II for ISPs

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler has made official what he had already signaled for weeks. In an op-ed in Wired Magazine online, Wheeler said Wednesday, "I am proposing that the FCC use its Title II authority to implement and enforce open internet protections."

He plans to circulate the draft of new network neutrality rules to the other commissioners Feb. 5.

"Using this authority, I am submitting to my colleagues the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC," he said. "These enforceable, bright-line rules will ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services. I propose to fully apply—for the first time ever—those bright-line rules to mobile broadband. My proposal assures the rights of internet users to go where they want, when they want, and the rights of innovators to introduce new products without asking anyone’s permission."

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John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.