President Obama Wants Ban On Internet ‘Fast Lane’ Deals

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says Internet providers shouldn't be allowed to cut deals with online services like Netflix, Amazon or YouTube to move their content faster.

In a statement released by the White House Monday, the president called for an "explicit ban" on such deals. Obama also said that federal regulators should reclassify the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act.

Obama's statement puts him in the middle of a debate between industry, which wants little regulation, and the Federal Communications Commission, which is under public pressure to prevent broadband providers from creating so-called Internet "fast lanes."

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