President Obama urges FCC for stronger net neutrality rules

President Barack Obama urged on Monday the FCC to vote on stronger net neutrality rules. He advised the commission to reclassify broadband Internet service as a utility because the free and open Internet is as important for Americans as electricity and telephone service and should be regulated like them to protect the public interest.

"For almost a century, our law has recognized that companies who connect you to the world have special obligations not to exploit the monopoly they enjoy over access into and out of your home or business," Mr. Obama, said in a statement. "It is common sense that the same philosophy should guide any service that is based on the transmission of information - whether a phone call or a packet of data."

According to the president, Internet service providers, shouldn't be able to prevent viewers from seeing any legal content or intentionally slow down or speed up the delivery of content.

"Net neutrality has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation - but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted," Obama added. "We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas."

The president's statement increases the pressure on the Federal Communications Commission as it considers a proposal by its chairman, Tom Wheeler, to regulate the Internet as a public utility, much like telephone service. Wheeler has also proposed a "hybrid" approach in which the government would apply strict regulation on Internet traffic between Internet providers, while allowing service providers to strike some deals with websites and content-makers.

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Watch the president's statement here: