( CNN ) -- The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved `` high-level rules of the road '' designed to ensure that internet providers grant everyone equal access to the Web . But the 3-2 vote immediately came under attack from both flanks , with internet-freedom advocates saying the new rules do n't go far enough and critics saying the government should stay out of online business altogether . In announcing the proposed rules this month , FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said they would require high-speed internet providers to treat all types of Web content equally . The rules are designed to , in effect , keep the companies that own the internet 's real-world infrastructure from slowing down some types of websites or apps -- say , those belonging to a competitor -- or speeding up others for high-paying clients . For average internet users , the vote affects whether government will guarantee they 'll continue to have access to all Web content , regardless of their internet provider 's wishes , and whether they 'll get that content as quickly as businesses or individuals able to pay more for it . The commission 's agenda said the vote addressed `` basic rules of the road to preserve the open internet as a platform for innovation , investment , competition and free expression . '' Web freedom advocates argue the vote does n't do that . Commissioner Michael Copps , a Democrat , signed off on the rules but called them only a `` first step in the right direction . '' `` In my book , today 's action could have , and should have , gone further , '' he said . `` Going as far as I would have liked was , however , not in the cards . '' For example , he said , the rules wo n't absolutely prevent broadband providers from `` pay for priority '' -- giving faster service to those able to pay for it , or to one favored business over another . Instead , the regulations say those practices `` generally violate '' nondiscrimination rules . The vote was along party lines , with the commission 's three Democrats voting to `` concur '' with the rules and its two Republicans voting against them . Commissioner Robert McDowell , a Republican , called the vote a `` radical step '' and said it puts the FCC `` on a collision course '' with the courts , which he predicted will throw the rules out . `` The FCC is not Congress , '' he said . `` We can not make laws . '' Republicans have largely argued the government has no right to interfere with business practices online . McDowell said `` nothing is broken in the internet-access market that needs fixing . '' President Barack Obama , in a written statement , called the rules an important part of his administration 's goal of advancing `` American innovation , economic growth and job creation . '' `` Today 's decision will help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet while encouraging innovation , protecting consumer choice , and defending free speech , '' Obama said . As a candidate , Obama pledged to support open-internet policies . Although the commission approved the rules , Congress could still act to amend or weaken them . Members of the House and Senate , from both sides of the aisle , have expressed concerns for different reasons . Internet proposal sets off political firestorm . Lawmakers already are considering legislation that would , in effect , repeal the rules . And at least one is threatening to cut off funding to the FCC to implement the rules . The proposal also does n't set the same set of rules for mobile communications as it does for Web-based ones . So , the rules protecting information on a home computer might not keep the same data free on a mobile phone . Sen. Al Franken , a Minnesota Democrat and one of Congress ' most vocal net-neutrality advocates , calls the issue `` the most important free-speech issue of our time . '' In a column Monday for The Huffington Post , Franken said some of the current proposal 's language could actually weaken protections . `` ( T ) his Tuesday , when the FCC meets to discuss this badly flawed proposal , I 'll be watching , '' he wrote . `` If they approve it as is , I 'll be outraged . And you should be , too . '' Copps , however , said that `` if vigilantly and vigorously implemented by the commission -- and if upheld by the courts -- it could represent an important milestone in the ongoing struggle to safeguard the awesome opportunity-creating power of the open internet . '' Genachowski , the FCC chairman argued that currently there are no rules governing internet freedom and that the regulations strike a balance between the two extremes of opinion . He also noted they include new rules for mobile that address some critics ' concerns . He called the policies `` high-level rules of the road '' and called internet freedom an ongoing issue for the commission .
FCC approves open - source ` ` ' '' plan , with support from both sides . Plan is supposed to keep those who pay from getting better Internet service than others . Congress can still act to amend or change rules .