Chairman Wheeler: Still Eyeing Zero Rating Plans

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler says the FCC is continuing to vet information about zero rating plans to decide how they square with the general Internet conduct standard that allows the commission to identify practices that impede an open Internet. That update, in a press conference following the FCC's monthly meeting, came as network neutrality groups pressed the FCC to take action on the strength of over 100,000 complaints.

Asked whether the FCC would take action on the plans following a federal appeals court's ruling upholding its ability to impose a general conduct standard, Chairman Wheeler said the reason the FCC did not have specific language on zero rating plans in the Open Internet Order is because it is a broad issue, not a "one-size-fits-all situation." He said the FCC continued to collect information, as it has been for months, and remained in ongoing discovery mode. He also said he appreciated the input he had gotten on the issue, which included an event staged in advance of the meeting.