Major web companies press for net neutrality in FCC filing

WASHINGTON, July 15 (UPI) -- Thirty-six major web companies have asked the Federal Communications Commission to ensure net neutrality by treating all web traffic equally.

The Internet Association -- a group of 36 web companies including Google, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook and Twitter -- submitted their official comments on the FCC's proposal to let Internet providers charge more for faster streaming speeds.

The companies said they they would like to see an open Internet and prevent the segregation of the Internet into fast lanes and slow lanes that will inhibit innovation and discourage entrepreneurs.

"The Internet is threatened by broadband Internet access providers who would turn the open, best-efforts Internet into a pay-for-priority platform more closely resembling cable television than today's Internet," the group said in its formal comments.

The FCC is attempting to draft new rules for net neutrality after the courts shut down their previously proposed rules. The FCC's new rules will allow broadband provides to charge content providers for traffic management as long it is "commercially reasonable."

Internet companies want the FCC to enforce net neutrality by adopting "simple, light-touch rules to ensure that the Internet remains open, dynamic, and spontaneous." This, they said, would keep the Internet away from censorship, discrimination and anticompetitive behavior, giving consumers access to the content they want.

"Applying uniform rules across platforms promotes predictability, confidence, and certainty for all," the comment said.

The companies said that broadband subscribers should get the bandwidth they are paying for and that content should be treated equally within that bandwidth without any discrimination.