FCC Chair Tom Wheeler faces formidable opposition to his plans.
Jessica Rosenworcel, one of the three Democrats on the Federal Communication Commission, has
asked for a delay on the proposal by Chairman Tom Wheeler for new neutrality rules. Rosenworcel said the "torrent of public response" hostile to the idea of a pay-for-play fast lane on the internet warranted the delay.
"While I recognize the urgency to move ahead and develop rules with dispatch, I think the greater urgency comes in giving the American public opportunity to speak right now, before we head down this road. […] I think it’s a mistake to cut off public debate right now as we head into consideration of the chairman’s proposal," Ms. Rosenworcel said. “I think we should delay our consideration of his rules by a least a month," she added.
Another of the Democrats on the FCC, Mignon Clyburn, wrote a
blog post Wednesday signaling her opposition to "pay for priority arrangements." Clyburn echoed the concerns Rosenworcel's concerns heard from the public, "tens of thousands of consumers, companies, entrepreneurs, investors, schools, educators, healthcare providers and others have reached out to ask me to keep the Internet free and open."
Opposition also comes from some of the giants of the web, in the form of a letter protesting the FCC's proposed rule. The signers included Amazon, which doesn't often get involved publicly in big policy fights, as well as Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, Ebay, Yahoo and dozens of other companies. The letter focuses on the innovations of American companies that have "created enormous value for Internet users, fueled economic growth, and made our Internet companies global leaders," stressing that that innovation was possible because of the free and open internet and that the reported proposed rules "represent a grave threat to the Internet."
Daily Kos also filed two letters in opposition to the new rule on behalf of the 6.3 million members and readers of Daily Kos, one submitting the comments and concerns of the 155,870 of you who responded to our petition request. You can read the second letter below the fold.
RE: Proceeding 14-28
Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet
Chairman Wheeler and the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
May 07, 2014
Daily Kos exists as the nation's most vibrant, active online political community because the open Internet exists. Because, like so many innovators over the past two decades, founder Markos Moulitsas could claim an online space, cultivate it, and watch it flourish. Every day, thousands of people interact on the site, tens of thousands take an action—signing an online petition or sending an email—and 6.3 million visitors come to the site for news and for community.
All that exists because Daily Kos doesn't have to pay a premium to share our message, because it's never had to because of Net Neutrality. Daily Kos has never had to worry that, because we often take unpopular and controversial stands, our content could be blocked or demoted by Internet Service Providers. That's because of Net Neutrality.
This proposed rule to allow ISPs to privilege content based on ability to pay would be the beginning of the end of Net Neutrality. It would choke off the entrepreneurial spirit, the innovation that has revolutionized life in the Internet age. Under these rules, telecommunications giants like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to decide if Daily Kos would be a winner or a loser.
A free and open Internet, in which all content is the driver of free speech, innovation, education, economic growth, and creativity. More and more in the past two decades, it's become the driver of our democracy. Don't let that grind to a halt. Reject Chairman Wheeler's proposed rule and create a rule that truly protects Net Neutrality. These rules need to be built on solid legal authority. And, the surest way to protect net neutrality is to write those rules using Title II of the Telecommunications Act to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service.
Sincerely, Daily Kos