It helps to have the leader of the free world on your side in a fight existential as keeping the internet free and open. In remarks Thursday at Cross Campus, a tech incubator in Santa Monica's Silicon Beach, President Obama
explicitly rejected Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal for a tiered internet.
I made a commitment very early on that I am unequivocally committed to net neutrality. I think that it is what has unleashed the power of the internet and we don't want to lose that or clog up the pipes ... I know one of the things that people are most concerned about is paid prioritization, the notion that some folks can pay a little more money and get better service, more exclusive access to customers though the internet. That's something I am opposed to. I was opposed to it when I ran, I continue to be opposed to it now. Now, the FCC is an independent agency. They came out with some preliminary rules that I think the netroots and a lot of the folks in favor of net neutrality were concerned with. My appointee [to the FCC], Tom Wheeler, knows my position. I can't ... call him up and tell him exactly what to do. But what I've been clear about, what the White House has been clear about, is that we expect whatever final rules to emerge to make sure that we're not creating two or three or four tiers of internet. That ends up being a big priority of mine.
What President Obama expects of Wheeler isn't necessarily what he'll get out of Wheeler, but it is the strongest statement yet from him, and should make Wheeler think twice about going forward with his proposal. Having Obama's comments added to the 3.7 million the FCC received about net neutrality is critical. As Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron
notes, "There's no doubt that Wheeler has lost political support for his proposal. He is opposed by the president, leaders in Congress and millions and millions of Americans."
His proposal won't fly, and it won't preserve what President Obama and 3.7 million Americans are demanding—real net neutrality. That means restoring the FCC's authority to regulate ISPs under Title II of the Communications Act.
Wheeler's heard the message from the president and from commenters. But he needs to hear it in person. Sign and send the petition: Demand FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler hold public hearings on net neutrality.