FCC May Tighten Neutrality Rules On Wireless Providers

US regulators are reportedly considering bringing the network neutrality regulations covering mobile Internet providers in line with the stricter rules that apply to wired Internet access providers as part of a broad reform package.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently accepting public comments on a reform measure called “Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet,” during a 120-day period that ends on 10 September. As part of its plans, it is considering doing away with neutrality exemptions that currently apply to wireless Internet providers, a senior FCC official told Reuters.

Wireless rules

“It’ll be a topic that will have big resonance among the commissioners: why should wireless be treated differently than wireline in terms of net neutrality,” the official said in a Sunday report, speaking anonymously.

The reforms are intended to update current network neutrality rules dating from 2010, and are in part intended to take into account the steep rise in mobile Internet usage since then. As currently formulated, the rules include a controversial measure that would allow businesses to pay ISPs for faster speeds, which some fear would lead to a tiered system that would offer a full Internet experience only to the wealthiest.

Under current regulations, fixed Internet providers are barred from blocking legal applications of imposing “unreasonable discrimination” against any legal web traffic or mobile applications, while mobile providers are only banned from blocking applications that compete with their own communications services.

Consumer groups argue that mobile devices are now the primary means of Internet access for many, and that this is particularly the case amongst the less well-off.

Push for stricter regulations

The Internet Association, a lobbying group that represents Internet giants including Amazon.com, Facebook, Google, Salesforce.com, Yahoo and others, told Reuters it plans to push the FCC to bring mobile Internet regulations into line with those that apply to fixed Internet services. The “same fundamental principles” should apply to mobile providers, the group’s chief executive, Michael Beckerman, reportedly said.

“We look forward to working with Chairman Wheeler and his fellow commissioners at the FCC to ensure that the Internet remains a vibrant platform for consumer choice and economic growth,” Beckerman said in a statement.

The CTIA, the industry trade group representing wireless communications operators, said it is lobbying the FCC to maintain rules that allow wireless providers to “actively manage networks”, the group’s chief executive, Meredith Attwell Baker, told Reuters.

The FCC is accepting comments via email at openinternet@fcc.gov. The initial commenting period lasts until 15 July, with reply comments to be accepted until 10 September.

The proposal was most recently revised last month, following a backlash against an earlier version that had been published in April.

The most recent version keeps the provisions under which businesses can pay ISPs to get their content delivered faster, but adds clarification on what FCC means under “commercially reasonable” terms. The document also claims to offer more protection to consumers and young companies.

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