FCC expected to propose regulating the Internet as a utility

New York

THE chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week is widely expected to propose regulating Internet service like a public utility, a move certain to unleash another round of intense debate and lobbying about how to ensure so-called "Net neutrality", or an open Internet.

It is expected that the proposal will reclassify high-speed Internet service as a telecommunications service, instead of an information service, under Title II of the Communications Act, according to industry analysts, lobbyists and former FCC staff members.