President Obama Scores on Network Neutrality

[Commentary] If the case in favor of Obama’s Internet policy is so strong, why is it so controversial and so difficult for the President to enact? Because a gutting of net neutrality would be extremely profitable to telecommunications companies (which could charge for access) and major existing Internet businesses (which could afford to buy protection against smaller, pesky competitors).

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has appeared unwilling to move against the interests of cable and phone companies on this issue, and has the bureaucratic autonomy to resist the wishes of outsiders, including those in the White House. At this point, however, the issue is in play, and both Chairman Wheeler and President Obama may ultimately be able to point to a truly significant and noble legacy -- the preservation of the freedom and openness that has made the Internet such a revolutionary force in the world.

[Ammori is a Future Tense Fellow at the New America Foundation]