U.S. officials are considering utility-style rules for Internet traffic, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said Wednesday.
The rules are "very much on the table," Wheeler told the U.S. House Committee on Small Business. Wheeler said the agency is considering rules under Title II, which refers to regulations drafted to regulate telephone service before widespread deployment of high-speed Internet service, or broadband.
Wheeler also listed "fast lanes" among activities such as blocking websites as an activity that interferes with broadband service.
The FCC is drafting rules to replace requirements that all Internet traffic be treated equally, a concept known as net neutrality. A federal court this year rejected the FCC rules. Wheeler in May issued a proposal that would allow Internet service providers to offer fast lanes, and the agency has received more than 3 million comments from the public.