Hi, my name’s Tom Wheeler, and I’m an industry type of guy…

The jovial gentleman in the photograph is Tom Wheeler, the president of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and a fine example of one of the many sub-species that feeds off the corruption body of US politics, manifested in this case by the revolving door syndrome, and the man chosen by the US telecommunications lobby to try to put an end to internet neutrality.

Before taking up his new position, Tom Wheeler worked as a lobbyist for the cable television and cellphone industry, rising to the position of CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), the body that defends the interests of cellphone operators internationally. He has now been infiltrated by these companies into the top position at the FCC, further proof that in the United States, big business and politics no longer even bother to hide their collusion.

His appointment comes precisely at a time of growing awareness around the world of the need for the internet to remain open and plural, as reflected in recent decisions by the European Union and Brazil. Instead, Washington has appointed a man to defend the interests of US civil society who has spent his career lobbying on behalf of big business, and who will now be working to “redefine” the neutrality of the internet to allow for the establishment of fast lanes for the transmission of certain types of traffic; something that the same FCC decided in 2010 was unacceptable and harmful for the internet.

This shameful proposal would inevitably lead to a two-tier internet, with a first class service for companies prepared to pay for faster access to ISPs and a second-class service for those unable or unprepared to pay. Unsurprisingly, it has sparked considerable controversy, given that it runs counter to the fundamental principle of the internet: that ISPs cannot offer special treatment in return for money. A recent entry in the FCC blog reveals not only his hypocrisy: the vague promises regarding a level playing field also shows that he thinks we are all idiots unable to see that what he is doing is declaring war on the open nature of the internet, and that if he gets his way, we will all have to pay more to get the services we want, thus putting more money into the pockets of the companies he represents, while at the same time making it easier than ever for the US government to directly control information flows.

We’re not talking hypotheses here: there is already abundant evidence already of how big business is taking advantage of the current vagueness of US internet legislation.

This latest maneuver once again exposes the corruption that runs through US politics, along with the hypocrisy of a president who once vowed to keep the internet neutral. The global telecommunications lobby has to understand that it is too late: the neutrality of the internet is now understood and respected throughout the world, and is the foundation stone for an open internet, which in turn is the guarantee that it will remain a place for innovation.

Tom Wheeler should be forced to stand down: he is a Trojan Horse and does not represents the interests of civil society; he is a lobbyist who has openly lied in taking up his current post. The only option open to us now is protest on a scale that the FCC has never seen.

(En español, aquí)