WASHINGTON, D.C.-Net neutrality is a term you may have heard over the past several years as it has become a political argument. It essentially is the belief that all internet data should be allowed to run through the wires unfettered and uncensored by big companies like Comcast and Verizon. President Obama is now pushing for net neutrality and Mississippi’s Sen. Roger Wicker disagrees with the president’s position, but says the internet should remain uncensored.
“Putting in place a regulatory regime that does not allow some of those companies to extend some preferential treatment to some content is an important way that we can protect the freedom and openness that’s associated with the internet,” said Josh Ernest, the president’s press secretary, Monday, “that will ensure it continues to be a space that is open to innovation and progress.”
Those who are against net neutrality argue that by charging higher fees to people who use the largest amount of bandwidth, companies could fund new innovations, like higher speeds.
Net neutrality proponents say, though, that those big companies would have too much control and could censor content, stifling freedom of speech. The argument says those companies could “throttle” the net and give preferential treatment to certain sites and services.
Wicker said in a statement Monday that he disagrees with the president’s viewpoint on net neutrality. Wicker, however, did not say he is against net neutrality, just the way Obama plans to implement it.
“President Obama’s net neutrality plan would create uncertainty, discourage investment and innovation, and threaten the online experience that Americans rely on and enjoy. His regulatory proposal would undoubtedly be tied up in the court system for the foreseeable future. It is my hope that Chairman Wheeler will instead pursue a solution that follows the law and does not disrupt economic growth and job creation. We must work to keep the Internet free and open for everyone.”
Obama’s plan to classify the internet into Title II of the Communications Act will be submitted into the record of the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, which is an independent agency. They intent to make a decision by early next year.
