The Federal Communications Commission has approved a rule which will reclassify broadband internet as a telecommunications service subject to federal oversight and reestablish “net neutrality.”

In a 3 – 2 vote taken Thursday, the nation’s top communications regulators ruled that broadband internet is a communications tool of the same species as the service delivered by old-fashioned copper telephone lines and therefore subject to Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.

“We know that broadband is a necessity and not a luxury, we know that it is an essential service. And when a consumer has a problem with it, they should be able to reach out to the nation’s expert on communications and get the help they need. They should be able to count on a national net neutrality policy that is grounded in the law and history of the United States,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said before the commission’s vote.

Following the vote, Jonathan Spalter, President & CEO of broadband trade group USTelecom, issued the following statement.

“These 400-plus pages of relentless regulation are proof positive that old orthodoxies die hard – even when the cost is failing to achieve internet for all. Our nation has a stark choice: Do we move forward together and connect everyone or dial it all back? Just two and a half short years ago we stood together for universal connectivity. Title II does nothing to advance that shared objective. In fact, it undermines it. And for what? This is a nonissue for broadband consumers, who have enjoyed an open internet for decades. Rather than pushing this harmful regulatory land grab, policymakers should keep their eyes on the real-world prize of building opportunity for everyone in a hyperconnected world.”

The new rule will be published in the Federal Register and take effect in 60 days.

— Developing