The White House backs the FCC’s commitment to...

The White House backs the FCC’s commitment to net neutrality but declined to say whether reclassification of broadband service was the best route forward, it said in a response to a petition on the issue (http://1.usa.gov/1cWA2S1). The response was authored by Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic policy, and Todd Park, U.S. chief technology officer. “The petition asked that the President direct the FCC to reclassify Internet service providers as ‘common carriers’ which, if upheld, would give the FCC a distinct set of regulatory tools to promote net neutrality,” they said. “The FCC is an independent agency. Chairman [Tom] Wheeler has publicly pledged to use the full authority granted by Congress to maintain a robust, free and open Internet -- a principle that this White House vigorously supports.”