President Obama Calls for Title II as the Best Way to Protect Real Net Neutrality

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama issued an unequivocal statement of support for real Net Neutrality, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify broadband Internet access under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.

"Internet providers have a legal obligation not to block or limit your access to a website," Obama said in a statement Monday morning. "Cable companies can't decide which online stores you should shop at or which streaming services you can use. And they can't let any company pay for priority over its competitors. To put these protections in place I'm asking the FCC to classify Internet services under Title II of the law known as the Telecommunications Act."

Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron made the following statement:

"The president who promised to take a back seat to no one on Net Neutrality has finally gotten in the driver's seat. And he may have saved the Internet at the moment it was in the greatest jeopardy.

"FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the other commissioners now must abandon convoluted proposals and make clear rules that will protect Internet users and stand up in court. As the president made very clear, the only sure way to do that is under Title II.

"The president's statement of support for Title II is the result of an unprecedented public outcry. More than 4 million Americans have contacted the FCC on the issue, with the overwhelming majority of comments urging the agency to create real Net Neutrality protections. And the phones have been ringing off the hook at the White House for weeks.

"The millions who've fought for an open Internet now will need to defend the president's bold stand against the expected onslaught from Internet service providers and their many lobbyists. But no industry or partisan spin can change the fact that Title II is a deregulatory, flexible approach that has allowed the Internet to flourish.

"The struggle for real Net Neutrality isn't over, but the president’s action is a major step in the right direction. To protect the open Internet that Americans demand, the FCC now must act and reclassify ISPs under Title II."