The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote Thursday on a proposal that would ensure the nation's Internet sector operates as a free and open marketplace.
The commissioners are expected to approve a proposal offered by chairman Tom Wheeler that would ban so-called paid prioritization, in which big Internet service providers would charge content providers a higher fee to stream their material over cyberspace faster than smaller customers.
Wheeler's proposal, which he announced earlier this month, would regulate the Internet under a section of the decades old Communications Act that regulates the telephone industry like a public utility.
In an opinion piece for Wired magazine, Wheeler said his proposal would "preserve the Internet as an open platform for innovation and free expression."