Internet Freedom Fighter of the Day: President Obama Gets Tough on Net Neutrality

Obama made his first big push in the fight for Net Neutrality Monday, with a statement encouraging the FCC to keep the Internet open and free.

"There are no gatekeepers deciding which sites you get to access. There are no toll roads in the information superhighway," Obama says in the accompanying video, which opens with a playful little "buffering" animation.

FCC chair Tom Wheeler proposed new Internet traffic rules earlier this year, and millions of people commented on the FCC website in protest.

From his statement:

"Net neutrality" has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation — but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted. We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas. That is why today, I am asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.

Obama also emphasized that ISPs shouldn't block sites that are legal or throttle a user's service.