Assemblymember Phil Ting has said it all along: Access to the Internet is a universal right.

On November 10, President Obama made a public statement calling for the FCC to treat the Internet as a public utility – just like telephone service and electricity.

It’s Finally Happening: Obama Takes a Strong Stance on Net Neutrality

We’ve been saying it for years: in order to implement the most foundational strategies for a smarter, faster and more democratic city government, universal Internet access is critical. And now, President Obama has come out publicly in support of a free and open Internet.

Taking his boldest position on the issue to-date, President Obama released a statement on Monday that called for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reclassify Internet service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, essentially re-labeling broadband as a public utility. This move would legally classify the Internet amongst other public utilities (like water, phone service or electricity) and allow it to be regulated as another service that has been recognized as essential to everyday communication and everyday life.

“Ever since the Internet was created, it’s been organized around basic principles of openness, fairness, and freedom”, explains Obama. “This set of principles – the idea of net neutrality – has unleashed the power of the Internet and has given innovators the chance to thrive. Abandoning these principles would threaten to end the Internet as we know it.”

The President’s message can be heard loud and clear as he urges the FCC to adopt the strictest possible regulations that protect net neutrality for everyone.

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency, but pressure from both the public and the political sphere to recognize the universality of the right to Internet access shows promise that we might (finally) be moving in the right direction toward a free and open Internet.

Obama’s statement is an exciting moment for the net neutrality movement, but it might be years before we see this come to fruition on a national scale. Let’s start making progress from the bottom up by supporting Assemblymember Phil Ting’s call to make Internet access a universal right here in San Francisco and across the country.