Reuters
11/11/2014 – 3:52
Barack Obama. Photo: Reuters / file
US President Barack Obama, has dealt a blow Monday to the big mobile phone companies and cable to publicly pressure the federal communications regulator to adopt tougher rules treat ISPs as utilities.
Shares of major companies providing Internet services, Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. plummeted during the session, after Obama say they should be reclassified to face tougher regulations that prevent them from signing agreements with content companies paid to have access to a “fast track” .
These statements are part of a statement about “net neutrality”, a commitment by Obama himself in his 2008 campaign pledge, but is a strange intervention of the White House in establishment of an independent agency policy.
Previously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC, for its acronym in English) received nearly 4 million reviews -mostly as a result of intense campaign network defenders consumidores– in response to the proposal made in May its president, Tom Wheeler, to set new standards.
The initiative would prohibit service providers from block Internet content, but allowed them to reach “commercially reasonable” agreements with content providers to ensure an adequate and fast traffic.
While Wheeler promised control agreements that may harm consumers, many expressed their concern because they can create “fast lanes” for companies that pay, while the rest are relegated to “slow lane.” The companies providing Internet services, meanwhile, say they have not signed or will sign agreements “payment priority”.
However, some analysts say that stricter regulations may also threaten called interconnection agreements, such as that achieved this year Netflix Inc with Comcast, Verizon Communications Inc and AT & amp;. T Inc to improve traffic service directly connecting to their servers
The cable companies and mobile made press hard on Monday warning that the decision to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service threatens public investment and innovation.
Obama, traveling in Asia, has released a statement and a message video network recognizing that the FCC is an independent agency and that the decision is “his alone”. However, it has sided with the consumer advocates in calling for banning the “priority of payment” and reclassified to service providers and public.
has also said that the FCC rules should apply equally to service providers of fixed and mobile Internet, recognizing the special challenges of managing wireless networks, a setback for the industry.
Wheeler, a close friend of Obama said in a separate statement that should take time “to do the job properly, once and for all, to successfully protect consumers and innovators in the network.”
Republicans have hesitated to quickly criticize Obama’s words. So, Senator John Thune said that “the call of the President (…) become a well Internet regulated by the government that affect this dynamic and robust sector rules written about 80 years ago the old telephone service.”
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