FCC Chair Pushes to Regulate ISPs

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is making yet another valiant stab at introducing net neutrality or something like it today. In a speech today, Genachowski will propose a new regulatory framework that would forbid Internet broadband providers from blocking lawful content, the New York Times reports. The rules would also allow providers to charge different rates for different levels of service, and to manage traffic to limit congestion or harmful traffic.

The telecom industry has been buzzing about the plan for weeks, Politico reports, but the details are still vague, and it’s unclear if it’ll amount to a full order for net neutrality. House Republicans have already attacked the plan, with one Tennessee lawmaker calling it a “hysterical reaction to a hypothetical problem.” But Genachowski argues that history has already shown that broadband companies will try to leverage their position as gatekeepers unless regulated. (More Julius Genachowski stories.)