Originally published: November 29, 2010
Last updated: December 2, 2010 - 11:54pm
Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, is open to supporting a Federal Communications Commission network neutrality order that doesn't reclassify broadband as a public utility.
"I'm not religious about Title I or Title II as long as it's effective to get the job done," Cooper said. "When I say effective, it means not having a [Congressional] resolution of disapproval stop it and not having the court stay the order." Whether the FCC needs to regulate broadband as a common carrier (Title II of the Communications Act) in order to protect the openness of the Internet is the central issue in the ongoing net neutrality debate. Cooper's comment comes as the FCC is rumored to be preparing a network neutrality order to vote on during its December meeting.