The Federal Communications Commission will propose and vote on new net neutrality regulations meant to place restrictions on Internet service providers in February.
The new rules will prevent broadband providers such as Verizon and Comcast from speeding up or slowing down some websites compared to others, The Washington Post reported.
Before the Christmas holiday, President Obama's top telecom regulator Tom Wheeler informed fellow FCC commissioners that he will circulate a draft proposal internally next month.
According to The Washington Post, analysts and officials close to the FCC say that talks of more aggressive regulations than the ones Wheeler proposed have occurred.
President Obama supports net neutrality, and he, along with other supporters, wants the FCC to regulate Internet service providers with Title II of the Communications Act.
The Huffington Post said Title II was imposed on telephone companies 80 years ago.
The goal of these regulations is to protect net neutrality and the idea that everyone with an Internet connection should have equal access to all legal content online.
This includes video, music, email, photos, social networks and maps. The outcome of the regulations could affect how much consumers pay for access to websites containing entertainment, news and other online content.
Supporters of regulations say that if the companies are left unchecked, they will separate consumers into fast and slow lanes so only the wealthiest consumers receive the fastest Internet service.
Internet providers oppose regulations and say that the FCC should continue to lightly regulate Internet providers under Title I of the Communications Act, The Washington Post said.
