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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Fri Jan 31, 2014, 06:15 PM Jan 2014

Obama on net neutrality: I wouldn’t be president without an open Internet

by Jon Brodkin -
President Barack Obama today spoke about the recent court decision that gutted the nation's network neutrality law, saying that he expects the FCC to take action to preserve the open Internet, which proved crucial in his presidential campaign.

"It's something that I've cared deeply about ever since I ran for office, in part because my own campaign was empowered by a free and open Internet and the ability for citizens all across the country to engage and create and find new ways and new tools to mobilize themselves," Obama said. "A lot of that couldn't have been done if there were a lot of commercial barriers and roadblocks and so I've been a strong supporter of net neutrality."

The Federal Communications Commission passed the current net neutrality rules, via the Open Internet Order, in 2010 during Obama's first term. The rules prevented Internet service providers from blocking Web applications or charging for access to the network. Verizon challenged the rules and got them overturned, but the FCC could rewrite the order to put it on a more solid legal footing.

Obama was asked about the court ruling this afternoon in a Google hangout.

more with video

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/01/obama-on-net-neutrality-i-wouldnt-be-president-without-an-open-internet/

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