The Obama Diary

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White House: Net Neutrality: President Obama’s Plan For A Free And Open Internet

An open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life. By lowering the cost of launching a new idea, igniting new political movements, and bringing communities closer together, it has been one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known. “Net neutrality” has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation — but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted. We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas. That is why today, I am asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.

I'm urging the @FCC to keep the internet open and free. Here's my plan to protect #NetNeutrality for everyone: go.wh.gov/net-neutrality -bo

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 10, 2025

No blocking. If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP should not be permitted to block it. That way, every player — not just those commercially affiliated with an ISP — gets a fair shot at your business. No throttling. Nor should ISPs be able to intentionally slow down some content or speed up others — through a process often called “throttling” — based on the type of service or your ISP’s preferences. Increased transparency. The connection between consumers and ISPs — the so-called “last mile” — is not the only place some sites might get special treatment. So, I am also asking the FCC to make full use of the transparency authorities the court recently upheld, and if necessary to apply net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between the ISP and the rest of the Internet. No paid prioritization. Simply put: No service should be stuck in a “slow lane” because it does not pay a fee. That kind of gatekeeping would undermine the level playing field essential to the Internet’s growth. So, as I have before, I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect.

More here

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Adam Clark Estes: Obama’s Plan To Save The Internet

Good news, America. Our president, Barack Obama, is finally standing up for the internet, and asking the FCC to classify it as a public utility. In other words, he’s asking the agency not to allow destructive things like fast lanes (a.k.a. paid prioritization) or throttling. It’s a great day! At least, today’s news is a great step in the right direction. So Obama’s asked the FCC to reclassify the internet as a public utility, like electricity or water. This means a lot of things. Suffice it to say that the internet gets a better square on the Monopoly board. Instead of just being a regular piece of real estate that can be bought or sold or modified or destroyed, the internet would enjoy a number of regulatory protections if it were classified under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. The White House points out in a blog post about Obama’s statement that the reclassification would represent a “basic acknowledgement of the services ISPs provide to American homes and businesses, and the straightforward obligations necessary to ensure the network works for everyone—not just one or two companies.” That sounds about right. The internet was designed to be a free and open tool for communications.

About an hour after the White House released the statement, Tim Wu tweeted:

BIG NEWS (for Net Neutrality) -- President Obama demands bright-line rules, endorses Title II reclassification whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality

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Tim Wu (@superwuster) November 10, 2025

Tim Wu is the Columbia Law School professor who invented the term “net neutrality.” So if he likes Obama’s policy, today is a terrific day for the internet. And it actually sounds like he loves the policy. Keep this in mind when you wonder if it’ll work. Will the FCC actually write new rules that conform to the president’s wishes? We don’t know. We can’t know until they do or they don’t! Think of it this way, though. The FCC is not the American people’s favorite agency right now. More than one individual commissioner has even admitted that the existing rules are bad. Meanwhile, the experts who understand how the internet works better than the FCC does say that Obama’s plan is “100% on target.” It’s the FCC’s job to listen to experts and do what’s best for the American people. Now would be a good time for the FCC to do its job.

More here

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An open and free Internet is for everyone. President @BarackObama, thanks for supporting Net Neutrality etsy.me/1tyJOkj

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  (@Etsy) November 10, 2025

I applaud President Obama’s leadership on #NetNeutrality. We must ensure fair & equal access to the Internet! goo.gl/ynOCJ2

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Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) November 10, 2025

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This is huge! President @BarackObama is sticking up for a free and open Internet: whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality #NetNeutrality

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Kickstarter (@kickstarter) November 10, 2025

Kudos to @WhiteHouse for continued support of #NetNeutrality. Constituents overwhelmingly say NO #InternetFastlanes http://t.co/6wokIYqzqk

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Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) November 10, 2025

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@WhiteHouse Thank you for this. @FCC Do it.

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  (@fd2190) November 10, 2025

@WhiteHouse @FCC keep fighting Mr. President

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LLS (@powwowasu) November 10, 2025

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Continue reading ‘A Free And Open Internet. Thanks, President Obama’