US proposes pay-for-priority Internet standards

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission is set to propose new Internet rules that would allow Internet service providers to charge content companies for faster delivery of their services over the so-called "last mile" connection to people's homes.

The agency also proposes to enhance government oversight of such deals to ensure that they don't harm competition or limit free speech, according to a senior FCC official familiar with the matter. The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is scheduled to present the proposed rules to the agency's four other commissioners later today.

So-called "net neutrality" rules have been hotly debated among policymakers, Internet providers and content companies such as Netflix. Without regulation, say consumer advocates, giant conglomerates — citing business or political reasons — could limit consumers from freely accessing certain types of content. But some policy analysts are unhappy with the FCC's current proposal.

"The beauty of the Internet has always been its ability to serve as an unrestricted platform for all speech, giving users the ability to access the content that they choose without ISP-selected 'fast lanes' and 'slow lanes,'" said Sarah J. Morris, senior policy counsel at New America, a nonpartisan think tank. "A policy that encourages paid prioritization is not network neutrality, and the Commission is using a bad legal path to a terrible policy end," she said.