WEBVTT

00:00:04.137 --> 00:00:05.905
The President:
Hi everybody.

00:00:05.905 --> 00:00:07.351
Ever since the


00:00:07.351 --> 00:00:08.797
internet was created,

00:00:08.797 --> 00:00:10.358
it's been organized


00:00:10.358 --> 00:00:11.919
around basic principles

00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:13.173
of openness, fairness,


00:00:13.173 --> 00:00:14.427
and freedom.

00:00:14.427 --> 00:00:15.290
There are no gatekeepers


00:00:15.290 --> 00:00:16.153
deciding which sites

00:00:16.153 --> 00:00:17.016
you get to access.

00:00:17.016 --> 00:00:18.895
There are no toll roads on


00:00:18.895 --> 00:00:20.774
the information superhighway.

00:00:20.774 --> 00:00:22.655
This set of principles,


00:00:22.655 --> 00:00:24.657
the idea of net neutrality,

00:00:24.657 --> 00:00:26.359
has unleashed the


00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:28.061
power of the internet,

00:00:28.061 --> 00:00:29.351
and given innovators


00:00:29.351 --> 00:00:30.641
the chance to thrive.

00:00:30.641 --> 00:00:32.038
Abandoning these


00:00:32.038 --> 00:00:33.435
principles would threaten

00:00:33.435 --> 00:00:34.290
to end the internet


00:00:34.290 --> 00:00:35.145
as we know it.

00:00:35.145 --> 00:00:36.220
That's why I'm


00:00:36.220 --> 00:00:37.295
laying out a plan

00:00:37.295 --> 00:00:38.043
to keep the internet


00:00:38.043 --> 00:00:38.791
free and open.

00:00:38.791 --> 00:00:39.539
And that's why
I'm urging

00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:40.774
the Federal
Communications Commission

00:00:40.774 --> 00:00:42.776
to do everything
they can to protect

00:00:42.776 --> 00:00:45.445
net neutrality
for everyone.

00:00:45.445 --> 00:00:47.614
They should make it clear that
whether you use a computer,

00:00:47.614 --> 00:00:50.917
phone or tablet, internet
providers have a legal

00:00:50.917 --> 00:00:55.321
obligation not to block or
limit your access to a website.

00:00:55.321 --> 00:00:57.657
Cable companies can't
decide which online stores

00:00:57.657 --> 00:01:00.026
you can shop at, or
which streaming services

00:01:00.026 --> 00:01:01.227
you can use.

00:01:01.227 --> 00:01:03.963
And they can't let any
company pay for priority

00:01:03.963 --> 00:01:06.099
over its competitors.

00:01:06.099 --> 00:01:07.734
To put these
protections in place,

00:01:07.734 --> 00:01:10.770
I'm asking the FCC to reclassify
internet service under

00:01:10.770 --> 00:01:14.340
Title II of a law known as
the Telecommunications Act.

00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:17.277
In plain English, I'm asking
them to recognize that for most

00:01:17.277 --> 00:01:20.246
Americans, the internet has
become an essential part

00:01:20.246 --> 00:01:23.082
of everyday communication
and everyday life.

00:01:23.082 --> 00:01:25.618
The FCC is an
independent agency,

00:01:25.618 --> 00:01:28.288
and ultimately this
decision is theirs alone.

00:01:28.288 --> 00:01:30.190
But the public has
already commented nearly

00:01:30.190 --> 00:01:33.159
four million times, asking
the FCC to make sure

00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:36.930
that consumers, not the cable
company, gets to decide

00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:38.832
which sites they use.

00:01:38.832 --> 00:01:40.800
Americans are making
their voices heard,

00:01:40.800 --> 00:01:42.435
and standing up for the
principles that make

00:01:42.435 --> 00:01:45.004
the internet a powerful
force for change.

00:01:45.004 --> 00:01:46.806
As long as I'm
president, that's what

00:01:46.806 --> 00:01:48.074
I'll be fighting for, too.