"FCC looks at ways to assert authority over Web access
By Cecilia Kang
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 15, 2010;
A22
The Federal Communications Commission is considering aggressive moves
to stake out its authority to oversee consumer access to the Internet,
as a recent court hearing and industry opposition have cast doubt on
its power over Web service providers.
The FCC, which regulates public access to telephone and television
services, has been working to claim the same role for the Internet. The
stakes are high, as the Obama administration pushes an agenda of open
broadband access for all and big corporations work to protect their
enormous investments in a new and powerful medium.
"This is a pivotal moment," said Ben Scott, director of policy at
the public interest group Free Press. The government wants to treat
broadband Internet as a national infrastructure, he said, like phone
lines or the broadcast spectrum. But federal regulators are grappling
with older policies that do not clearly protect consumers' access to
the Web, their privacy or prices of service."
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