On February 4, 2015, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler wrote an op-ed for Wired in which he outlined new Open Internet rules he is circulating to his fellow FCC commissioners. The following statement can be attributed to Benton Foundation Director of Policy Amina Fazlullah:
After months of public debate, the Federal Communications Commission seems poised to adopt rules that will ensure that consumers retain their rights to utilize any legal applications, content, devices, and services of their choosing on the broadband networks they use. This will be a huge victory for Internet users for years to come. The Internet is one of the great engines of democratic and economic activity in human history – and the FCC’s proposed openness rules will help ensure that it remains a platform for all users, content creators, and innovators, regardless of their ability to pay infrastructure owners for access.
The Benton Foundation salutes the leadership of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The process to adopt what promises to be the strongest network neutrality ever has been transparent and welcomed the voices of the American public in record numbers. Chairman Wheeler's actions reflect his commitment to an Internet that is fast, fair and open.
Benton looks forward to reviewing the actual language of the new rules, but today’s announcement makes us hopeful that the Internet will remain the greatest platform ever for expression and innovation.