Obama: 'I'm a Big Believer in Net Neutrality'

Just a few weeks ago, the ongoing debate over proposed net neutrality rules under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appeared to have taken a turn for the worse. At least as far as net neutrality proponents were concerned. But, with President Obama’s left flank increasingly uneasy with the direction he is taking as the midterm election approaches, observers say he may be aiming to shore up his base by tilting leftwards on the issue, one that flies below the radar of most Americans.

Specifically, as Obama seeks to strike a more centrist tone on items like the deficit, taxes and education, tech and telecoms policy observers say he appears to be going out of his way to curry favor with the online left– which political experts say has been in a state of near-revolt for months now–by reaffirming his strong commitment to net neutrality. One tech policy expert that Big Government consulted described the proposed policy as “one of the top items on the American Left’s wish-list,” and one of those guaranteed to “fire up” the online left like the Iraq War did in years past–with the fringe benefit for Obama that most Americans have no idea what net neutrality means, either in theory or in practice.

In an interview filmed after last week’s the State of the Union address, a clip of which is currently being promoted by hard-left media reform group Free Press, Obama is captured on camera underlining that both he and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski are major supporters of net neutrality:

This is despite the policy recently having become the target of pointed questions, scrutiny and criticism from minority and civil rights groups, as well as a broader array of groups typically seen to align closely with Democrats and progressives–including one prominent union. In addition, the proposed policy has attracted criticism from conservatives, Internet Service Providers and others.

Many of the minority and civil rights groups remain concerned about the prospect of net neutrality widening the “digital divide”–and having a disproportionately negative effect on minorities, and African-Americans in particular.

Meanwhile, some tech and telecoms policy experts suggest that the FCC’s record with regard to issues of importance to minorities (for example, saving African-American radio stations) of late has been weak in the round, which has resulted in the agency being perceived as undeserving of the trust its Chairman might hope to engender.

Net neutrality advocates, including Free Press (which recently became involved in a dust-up over whether the group could properly be labeled “radical” and “neo-Marxist,” descriptions that an adviser to the Arts + Labs coalition used in an op-ed and which some tech and telecoms policy advisers regard as fair), continue to assert that government regulation of the type advocated by Genachowski is necessary in order to preserve the open character of the internet. Currently, the group is running a campaign to garner 2 million signatures on its pro-net neutrality petition–which is set to run until the current comment period ends on March 5.

Those wishing to comment on the FCC’s proposed rulemaking regarding net neutrality other than via Save The Internet can do so at the FCC website.