The U.S. government plans to propose broad new rules Monday that would force Internet providers to treat all Web traffic equally, seeking to give consumers greater freedom to use their computers or cellphones to enjoy videos, music and other legal services that hog bandwith.
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The proposed rules could change how operators manage their networks and profit from them, and the everyday online experience of individual users. Treating all Web traffic equally means carriers couldn’t block or slow access to services or sites that are a drain on their networks or offered by rivals.
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The rules will also escalate a long-running fight over how much control the government should have over Internet commerce. The Obama administration is taking the side of Google, Amazon.com Inc. and an array of smaller businesses that want to profit from offering consumers streaming video, graphics-rich games, movie and music downloads and other services.
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“Any company or piece of software that becomes popular, generating a lot of traffic, would tend to benefit,” said Jonathan Zittrain, the co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
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The FCC has four net neutrality principles, which call on Internet providers to avoid restricting or delaying access to legal Internet sites and services.
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