Jan. 9, 2014: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Thomas Wheeler speaks during a Town Hall meeting in Oakland, California. (Reuters / Stephen Lam)
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday that it will craft new rules to prevent Internet service providers from charging companies like Netflix or Google a toll to reach consumers at the highest speeds.
The guidelines are expected to ban broadband providers from blocking or slowing down access to any websites. Supporters say the concept, known as "net neutrality," is crucial to keeping the Internet open and allowing smaller companies to compete with the biggest content providers. But the courts have ruled against the FCC's last two attempts to enforce net neutrality on companies like Comcast and Verizon that provide Internet connections to households and businesses.
Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out FCC rules barring broadband providers from blocking or slowing down websites, but the court acknowledged the commission has some authority regulate broadband company practices. The FCC on Wednesday said it won't appeal the D.C. Circuit's ruling and will instead attempt to reintroduce rules under legal authority outlined by the court's ruling.
The FCC said it would likely complete the rules in the late spring or early summer.
Read more about the FCC's plans at The Wall Street Journal.
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