Comcast and other telecommunications companies have said Internet regulations could stifle innovation and investment. Supporters of the new rules said they would protect consumers and smaller companies from the actions of telecommunications giants seeking competitive advantages by disrupting the Internet traffic, or prioritizing the traffic of one website over another.
David Cohen, Comcast's executive vice president, said the new rules "appear intended to strike a workable balance between the needs of the marketplace for certainty and everyone's desire that Internet openness be preserved." Cohen added that a benefit of the new rules may be that the federal agency did not enact stricter measures such as rate-setting.
Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president of public affairs, policy, and communications, said in a statement that the rules were not based on bipartisan support and broke with past practices. "Based on today's announcement, the FCC appears to assert broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband wire line and wireless networks and the Internet itself," Tauke said. "This assertion of authority without solid statutory underpinnings will yield continued uncertainty for industry, innovators, and investors. In the long run, that is harmful to consumers and the nation."