Cable and wireless groups not pleased with their old boss when it comes to Internet regulation

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler may be the former head two of the largest associations representing Internet service providers, but his proposal to regulate the Internet like a utility isn't winning any love from either trade group.

Wheeler put forward a plan Wednesday to regulate Internet providers under Title II of the Communications Act. The announcement was seen as a win for supporters of net neutrality, who want to require service providers to treat all Internet traffic equally.

Many questioned whether Wheeler would support such a move because he is the former head of both the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and CTIA-The Wireless Association, both of which oppose Title II regulation. At one point, late night talk show host John Oliver said President Barack Obama's decision to appoint Wheeler as the nation's chief Internet regulator was like parents hiring a dingo for a babysitter. (Wheeler later replied, "I'm not a dingo.")

However, neither NCTA nor CTIA were pleased with Wheeler's announcement and condemned the proposal in the strongest possible terms.

"Chairman Wheeler's proposal to impose the heavy burden of Title II public utility regulation on the Internet goes far beyond the worthy goal of establishing important net neutrality protections," NCTA CEO Michael Powell said. "It will result in a backward-looking new regulatory regime, ill-suited for the dynamic Internet, with far reaching and troubling consequences."

"We are concerned that the FCC's proposed approach could jeopardize our world-leading mobile broadband market and result in significant uncertainty for years to come because the FCC lacks congressional authority to impose Title II public utility regulation on mobile broadband services," CTIA CEO Meredith Attwell Baker said.

Both associations are instead backing a Republican proposal that would give Internet providers more flexibility in determining the services they provide. In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported that Wheeler was pressured into supporting Title II regulation by White House officials, saying the FCC chairman originally sought a middle ground between net neutrality supporters and Internet providers. http://on.wsj.com/16FXTcH

One reason for the White House's support for Title II regulation is the strong backing of companies that do business on the Internet, such as Netflix and Google. Associations that represent those companies were quick to praise the announcement Wednesday.

"Internet companies are pleased to hear that Chairman Wheeler intends to enact strong, enforceable, and legally sustainable net neutrality rules that include bright-line rules that ban paid prioritization, blocking, and discrimination online," said Michael Beckerman, CEO of the Internet Association.

"Wheeler chose the best legal path to protect consumers' and business' Internet access, but it no doubt was not an easy one given the enormous political pressure from large Internet access providers not to face even light regulations," said Ed Black, CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association.