FCC Said to Signal It’s Heeding President Obama’s Call for Open-Web Rules

The Federal Communication Commission is signaling that it intends to adopt President Barack Obama’s proposal to keep the Internet open when the independent agency votes on rules in February.

FCC officials working on the issue under FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler are asking questions they would only ask if they were taking the direction President Obama is seeking, such as how to regulate wireless service, said one person involved in discussions with the agency. The President’s intervention appears to be driving policy deliberations on network neutrality, Comcast said in documents filed with the FCC. Such an acknowledgment “gives you strong reason to believe it’s headed that way,” said Gene Kimmelman, president of Public Knowledge.