In an expected move, the commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to advance a plan aimed at largely restoring net neutrality protections reminiscent of the Obama-era rules. All three of the agency’s Democratic commissioners voted in favor of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF), while the two Republican commissioners dissented.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a longstanding supporter of net neutrality rules, introduced a proposal last month to reclassify fixed broadband as an essential communications service under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. Furthermore, the proposal seeks to classify mobile broadband as a commercial mobile service.
Should broadband be reclassified in this manner, the FCC would gain broader authority to regulate it, akin to how water, power, and phone services are overseen. This reclassification would offer the FCC greater flexibility in reinstating net neutrality rules.
