The FCC Defends An "Open Internet"

Much of the glamour of technology today rests on the amazing things one can do on the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission plays a big role in deciding how affordable and accessible those wonders will be for Americans.

Case in point: Internet service providers are imposing usage caps and pricing tiers based on the amount of data their customers use. They say these measures help ease network congestion and fund additional investment in infrastructure.

But these measures promise to crush the business models of streaming-media companies like Netflix and Hulu, which claim the measures only serve to stifle innovation and bilk customers. These companies claim that some of these ISPs–some of which also operate cable systems or cellular networks–favor their own content over those of Internet-based competitors.