Wyden to FCC: Preserve free, open Net competition

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged the Federal Communications Commission to preserve free and open competition on the Internet, in comments filed Monday.

In his submission, Wyden called for the commission to do that by reclassifying broadband providers as Title II common carriers, enforcing rules to ban paid prioritization and ensuring more transparency for consumers.

“It is impossible to permit pay-to-play discrimination without disadvantaging everyone who does not pay,” Wyden said. “Paid prioritization is destined to result in an Internet that tilts in favor of well-established and deep-pocketed players. And it is destined to create a set of disincentives for improving the technology for the benefit of all.”

“The answer is to preserve an open Internet by classifying today’s Internet as what it is — a telecommunications service. This does not mean over-regulating the Internet. It means using a scalpel to deal with a specific market failure that threatens the public interest. I have always been a vocal advocate for applying a light touch to Internet regulation.”

Treating broadband providers the same way as other telecommunication companies, under Title II of the Telecommunications Act will provide the FCC with a strong legal foundation to enforce the open Internet rules that level the playing field for consumers and startups.

Read Wyden’s full FCC submission here.