As Congress and the FCC continue to negotiate what the terms of Net Neutrality will be in America, the ISP and broadband companies are doing their part to get the most out of the deal. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have all challenged modern conceptions of Net Neutrality and opposed reclassifying the Internet as a utility. However, Sprint has chosen to break away from the crowd and support Net Neutrality.
Sprint said in a letter that it supported the FCC using Title II to reclassify internet services as a telecommunications service, GigaOM reported Friday.
"So long as the FCC continues to allow wireless carriers to manage our networks and differentiate our products, Sprint will continue to invest in data networks regardless of whether they are regulated by Title II, Section 706, or some other light touch regulatory regime," Sprint said.
According to GigaOM, this is a significant move on Sprint's part. While the other three ISP companies have said that if Title II goes through they will invest less in data networks, which would hurt everyone's internet usage, Sprint's statement implies that it will continue investing in data networks wherever it is possible.
However, BGR notes that these updates may not be as great as one would want. The language used implies that Sprint does have a desire to create "Internet fast lanes." The company also uses the phrase "light touch," which no one has definitively defined. This would give Sprint a lot of leeway as to what it opposes when mentioning that phrase.
Regardless of these caveats, BGR still believes that Sprint's statements are a first for an ISP provider.
This letter comes at an important time, when FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler must make a decision regarding Title II's legitimacy and share it with the others.
