Net netrality won't be achieved "without a fight," according to FCC Commissioner Michael Copps.
Copps discusses open internet with Bill Moyers in an interview for "Bill Moyers Journal" that's set to air Friday, April 23.
Copps argues that because of the media shift online, it is in the public interest to regulate the administration of internet service.
Copps: This is a tough question for America right now. Here you've got this dynamic technology that thrives on openness,that thrives on innovation... and you don't want to regulate or artificially limit it. But at the end of the day, if that's where everything is moving, if that's where our national dialogue, if that's where our civic dialogue is moving, there is a public interest component to that....
I think at the end of the day, you have to come to that conclusion: we have a public interest in how this is used to inform and serve the American people.
The interview comes at a difficult time for the Federal Communications Commission.
Earlier this month, The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia dealt a blow to the FCC when it ruled that under current law, the commission has limited power to regulate broadband service.
The ruling stemmed back to a 2008 decision by the FCC against Comcast for its move to "throttle," or monitor and selectively block the traffic of its broadband customers. The appeals court ruled that the FCC lacked the ability to regulate Comcast's broadband practices.
The FCC could void the effects of the appeals court's ruling by reclassifying broadband. While several Senators have expressed support for its reclassification, CNET's Margeurite Reardon says it's unlikely.
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