IBM, Intel, and Cisco have joined the net neutrality debate

Some of the biggest companies that power America’s Internet, including Apple’s new enterprise partner IBM, have come out in opposition of President Obama’s proposal to reclassify broadband as a “Title II” service. In an open letter written to the FCC, Congress, and Senate leaders, over 60 of the biggest companies that build the technology that make the Internet possible have advised that such a “dramatic reversal” in policy would significantly hurt their businesses. The list of companies include Intel, IBM, Qualcomm, Cisco, Corning and tons of others who aren’t going to let the FCC’s big decision next year go down without a fight. President Obama recently proposed the reclassification of broadband in an effort to implement net neutrality regulations that would keep the Internet open. Facebook and Google have both come out in favor of pro-consumer proposal, but Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are strongly opposed to the suggestion because they want to charge for access to fast lanes that give data from some companies preferential treatment over others.