A new name for net neutrality?

In an effort to make the issue more accessible, a House Democrat is pushing a new way to brand the notion that Internet service companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable should be barred from blocking or slowing access to websites.

Instead of net neutrality, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) wants people to refer to “Freedom Against Internet Restrictions (FAIR)” after a contest she launched on Reddit to develop a new name. 

{mosads}Of the more than 3,600 different entries and comments, FAIR was the top entrant, with 1,146 votes.

The Federal Communications Commission’s attempt to write new net neutrality regulations has sparked online outrage from critics who worry that a proposal from Chairman Tom Wheeler would allow companies to make deals with each other to speed up service, which could result in “fast lanes” for users of wealthy sites and “slow lanes” elsewhere.

Despite the backlash, though, many still find the concept befuddling — a sentiment that comedian John Oliver memorably captured on his HBO show earlier this summer.

“Internet users know what they want and expect from the Internet, but these days all the jargon about net neutrality rules is making it difficult to know what box to check that advances their best interest,” Eshoo, who is the top Democrat on the House Commerce subcommittee on technology, wrote when announcing the contest in August.

In addition to voting on names for new rules, many Reddit users also pushed the FCC to reclassify broadband Internet as a “communications service” instead of an “information service,” a controversial step that would allow the agency to impose utility-style regulations on Internet companies. Major industry leaders and Republicans have warned the FCC against taking that step, which would likely lead to a flurry of lawsuits.

According to the National Journal, Eshoo declared support for a similar approach in an upcoming interview on C-SPAN.

Other congressional leaders, such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and moderate Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), have urged the agency to impose utility-style rules.