Two weeks ago the Federal Communications Commission proposed new regulations that, if passed, would dramatically alter the Internet as we know it. The proposal, which would permit Internet service providers (ISPs) to set up “fast lanes” that Web sites could pay to access for speedier content delivery, has attracted widespread, vocal opposition from advocates who say that it will strangle the free flow of information around the Web.
The FCC has left itself a way out from this debacle—Chair Tom Wheeler announced that the commission invited comment on whether it should reclassify the Internet as a public utility, a move that would sidestep the need for the proposed regulations—but it is unclear if the FCC is actually willing to take it.
