Industry Reacts to White House Net Neutrality Push

[cdmagurus.com]

Following the White House's request to reclassify the internet as a utility, a number of industry organizations have fielded responses. First to respond was FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. Wheeler "welcomed" Obama's comments and said the agency would add them to the existing public discourse regarding the subject. He stopped well short of saying the agency would adopt such measures. "The more deeply we examined the issues around the various legal options, the more it has become plain that there is more work to do. The approaches before us raise substantive legal questions. We found we would need more time to examine these to ensure that whatever approach is taken, it can withstand any legal challenges it may face," said Wheeler. The CTIA Wireless Association, which lobbies for the wireless industry's interests in Washington, disagreed with Obama's proposal in the strongest terms. "Imposing antiquated common carrier regulation on the vibrant mobile wireless ecosystem would be a gross overreaction that would impose inappropriate regulation on a dynamic industry and would threaten mobile providers' ability to invest and innovate, all to the detriment of consumers. CTIA strongly opposes such an approach," wrote CTIA President Meredith Atwell Baker. AT&T went a step further and threatened legal action. "Today's announcement by the White House, if acted upon by the FCC, would be a mistake that will do tremendous harm to the Internet and to U.S. national interests. If the FCC puts such rules in place, we would expect to participate in a legal challenge to such action," said Jim Cicconi, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President, External & Legislative Affairs. Verizon Wireless issued a statement similar to AT&T's. "Reclassification under Title II, which for the first time would apply 1930s-era utility regulation to the internet, would be a radical reversal of course that would in and of itself threaten great harm to an open internet, competition and innovation. That course will likely also face strong legal challenges and would likely not stand up in court," said the company in a post on its public policy blog.


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