Net neutrality rules poised to win FCC approval

By Cecilia Kang

Updated 5:09 p.m.

The Federal Communications Commission is poised on Tuesday to pass net neutrality regulations, rules that would for the first time prevent Internet service providers from blocking or giving preferential treatment to Web sites on their networks.

The FCC's proposal will receive support from a majority of the five-member commission, after intense lobbying. Telecom and cable companies have said that the new rules could deter them from expanding broadband Internet connections and bolstering speeds. On the other side, Internet giants such as Google and Skype, along with public interest groups, have for years pushed for such regulation, saying the increased importance of the Internet calls for clear rules to ensure that consumers get equal access to all legal Web sites and applications.

The rules would prevent Internet service providers from blocking Web sites and applications on Internet lines feeding into U.S. homes. Those carriers -- such as Comcast and AT&T -- could not deliberately slow down one Web site over another. The rules frown on the practice of charging Web sites for better or faster delivery, but observers say that practice would not be strictly prohibited.

Wireless networks would not be covered as broadly by the rules. An FCC official said carriers such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel would be prohibited from blocking competing voice and videoconferencing applications. Any other practices would have to be disclosed by the carriers.

Democratic commissioners Michael J. Copps and Mignon Clyburn said they will support the proposal by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Copps said in a statement that he cannot vote "wholeheartedly" for Genachowski's proposal and that the rules don't have everything he believes should be included in regulations.

"But I believe we have been able to make the current iteration better than what was originally circulated. If vigilantly and vigorously implemented by the Commission -- and if upheld by the courts -- it could represent an important milestone in the ongoing struggle to safeguard the awesome opportunity-creating power of the open Internet," Copps said in a statement. "While I cannot vote wholeheartedly to approve the item, I will not block it by voting against it. I instead plan to concur so that we may move forward."

In a separate statement, Clyburn said she will also vote in favor of the rules, though she had expressed concerns that wireless consumers wouldn't be protected as strongly under Genachowski's regulations.

"The Commission has worked tirelessly to offer a set of guidelines that, while not as strong as they could be, will nonetheless protect consumers as they explore, learn, and innovate online," she said.

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