FCC plans new rules in ‘net neutrality’ effort

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that it will propose new open-Internet rules to prevent providers of high-speed service from blocking or slowing down traffic on their networks in pursuit of higher profits.

That effort was hobbled last month after a federal appeals court struck down an earlier set of rules regarding what is known as “net neutrality.” The court said the FCC had overstepped its authority to regulate broadband firms such as Verizon and Time Warner Cable, the communications giants that provide Internet connections to millions of homes and businesses.

But the court’s opinion suggested a path for regulation, said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. So instead of appealing the decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Wheeler said, the agency will rewrite the rules in a manner that he thinks can withstand a legal challenge.

Wheeler said the new rules would prevent broadband providers such as Verizon Communications, which operates the Fios video and Internet network, from blocking competing sites such as Netflix or slowing down the site’s video-streaming service. Wireless Internet providers such as AT&T and T-Mobile would also be affected but would not be held to all of the same standards as land-line firms.

Wheeler said the new rules would “meet the court’s test for preventing improper blocking of and discrimination among Internet traffic, ensuring genuine transparency in how Internet Service Providers manage traffic, and enhancing competition.”

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