Ever since the FCC voted in Title II and redefined the internet, the organization has received critiques from businesses, analysts, Republican congressmen and many more. However, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler isn't taking such comments lying down. Wheeler took a few swings at his critics during an interview at the Mobile World Congress, as well as providing some background as to why he made the decisions he did.
First off, the FCC planned to act as the "referee for the internet." If there was ever a dispute between parties regarding the service, the FCC will be ready to step in and resolve the conflict.
When the interviewer brought up the criticism of how Title II is using regulations from the 1930s to manage a 21st century technology, Wheeler replied by saying: "Let's be real clear, this is no more regulating the Internet than the First Amendment regulates free speech in our country..."
According to Wheeler, the law only applies a select part of Title II. Certain laws, such as rate regulation or requirements regarding contributions to the service will not be used to regulate ISPs.
"We are for an open Internet...That is not the regulation of the Internet...We want network operators to be as innovative as possible," Wheeler said when asked about the FCC's official position on the issue.
When asked about whether Obama commissioned him to use Title II to regulate ISPs, Wheeler declined to comment, but said that his final position was influenced by the conversations he had with consumers, innovators and investors. However, most analysts believe that Wheeler actually pursued Title II after Obama encouraged him to pursue the venture.
