FCC Chairman Proposes New Net Neutrality Rules

The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it will rewrite sweeping broadband Internet rules known as net neutrality, ending a legal battle that has thrown into question the agency's ability to protect consumers on the Web.

Tom Wheeler, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said the rules will seek to forbid content blocking and ensure providers treat Web traffic equally. The same goals had been included in 2010 regulations that were vacated last month by an appeals court, which said the FCC had overreached.

The FCC may also examine how to lower legal barriers to cities and towns offering high-speed Internet, Wheeler said. The agency will seek to ensure network operators disclose how they manage traffic so content providers have the information they need create and maintain products, he said.

Wheeler wants the commission to consider how it can use Section 706 of the Telecom Act to "fulfill the goals of the non-discrimination rule." That basically said ISPs can't discriminate based on application in order to manage their networks. It can slow down its network completely, but couldn't block BitTorrent, for example.

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