Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has proposed a reclassification of broadband services under Title II regulations, re-establishing uniform, nationwide, open Internet rules that would grant the FCC the authority to enforce net neutrality principles consistently across the United States (US).

If approved by the full FCC board in their upcoming October 19 meeting, it will mark a return to the principles that guided its policy until 2018.

Since the FCC’s adoption of a policy statement affirming net neutrality principles in 2005, it had consistent policy across multiple administrations to enforce open Internet standards. The objective was to ensure that Internet service providers treated all online content equally, without discrimination or favouritism.

However, in 2018, after a change in administration, under chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC controversially abandoned open Internet rules and relinquished authority over the Internet entirely.

The proposed rulemaking, shared with her colleagues at the FCC is set to be voted on during the October 19 meeting. If approved, it will initiate a new rulemaking process, allowing the public to provide comments and feedback on the proposal through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).

The FCC chairwoman will review the public record before deciding how to proceed, including the adoption of final rules.

Notably, the rulemaking also proposes to forbear certain provisions of Title II and hundreds of commission rules to address concerns about potential threats to network investment and unnecessary regulatory burdens in an effort to strike a balance between preserving net neutrality and encouraging broadband network investment.