The Internet's First Amendment: The New Fight For Net Neutrality

WAMU 88.5

Published May 31, 2017 at 10:06 AM EDT

Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler (L) listens to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai testify before the House Judiciary Committee. Wheeler faced a tough line of questioning from the committee's Republicans about the FCC's recent move to regulate broadband Internet service like a utility using Title II of the Communications Act.

Some call it “the First Amendment of the internet”: keep all data flowing free, and fast. The head of the Federal Communications Commission says the Obama-era rules need to change so business isn’t harmed. The net neutrality rules prevented internet service providers from favoring certain sites by intentionally speeding or slowing down user access. Consumer advocates say the move to loosen the rules would largely leave the industry to police itself. How do we keep the internet open, free AND competitive?

GUESTS

Tom Wheeler, Former chairman of the FCC; visiting fellow, Brookings Institution; former CEO, Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association; former president and CEO, National Cable Television Association

Matthew Berry, Chief of staff, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

Thomas Hazlett, Hugh H. Macaulay Endowed Professor of Economics at Clemson University; director, Information Economy Project at Clemson; author of a new book, “The Political Spectrum: The Tumultuous Liberation of Wireless Technology, from Herbert Hoover to the Smartphone”

Cecilia Kang, Technology reporter, The New York Times

Jonathan Spalter, CEO, USTelecom, a trade group that represents broadband providers; former chairman of Mobile Future

Craig Aaron, President and CEO, Free Press, an advocacy group that seeks to safeguard Net Neutrality, stop media consolidation, oppose unchecked surveillance and protect the free press

For more, visit http://the1a.org.