Why the F.C.C. Should Heed President Obama on Internet Regulation

Big telecommunications companies and many Republicans in Congress have criticized President Obama’s proposal for strong rules to prevent the creation of fast and slow lanes on the Internet. They claim this is heavy-handed government regulation. But in fact, it is correcting an old mistake.

Mr. Obama says the Federal Communications Commission should reclassify broadband Internet service as a telecommunications service, rather than the lightly regulated information service it is now. This would give the commission the authority to prevent broadband providers from slowing the delivery of some web content to favor content from companies that have paid a fee for faster delivery.

The F.C.C., an independent agency, is not obligated to do what Mr. Obama asks. But the checkered regulatory history shows the soundness of Mr. Obama’s idea.


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Even if broadband is reclassified as a telecommunications service, no one is talking about having federal regulators approve consumer rates or requiring companies to lease their networks to competitors. What Mr. Obama wants is an Internet where service providers handle all content sent and received by consumers equally. His approach takes into account what has happened in the past decade, and it levels the playing field for businesses and protects consumer choice.

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