Apple Inc. has spoken out at last on the ongoing issue of net neutrality, asking the government to keep the current regulations in place.

In the four-page filing to the Federal Communications Commission, Apple laid out its thoughts on how the FCC should retain “strong and enforceable” open Internet protections. The message Apple sent emphasized consumer choice, saying that the FCC should not allow paid fast lanes, that there should be transparency regarding Internet service providers and their customers, and that customers should have more choice in which Internet service provider they use.

“Broadband providers should not block, throttle, or otherwise discriminate against lawful websites and services,” wrote Cynthia Hogan, Apple’s vice president for public policy. She added that for a decade this has been a “foundational principle” of the FCC and that services need assurance that ISP actions won’t negatively affect them.

In the past, Apple had been quiet on the net neutrality issue. In 2014, while most of the biggest tech companies signed a petition in support of regulations, Apple was conspicuously silent. Reports at the time alleged that Apple had selfish reasons for rebuffing the opportunity to stand up for net neutrality.

In this year’s Day of Action in support of net neutrality, Apple was missing again, while tech giants such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. were all united on the issue.

As Wired pointed out, Apple’s real reason for suddenly supporting net neutrality is most likely the fact that its own content could suffer, because it might take a stretch of the imagination to believe content providers only have the common good in mind. That’s the same platitude FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been using has his excuse to take a “weed whacker” to current regulations.

It seemed for a while that this ongoing debate might see some progress after tech companies and ISPs were expected to meet with the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Sept. 7, but that was recently postponed reportedly to allow “talks between stakeholders to continue.”

“Apple remains open to alternative sources of legal authority, but only if they provide for strong, enforceable, and legally sustainable protections, like those in place today,” Apple said in its closing statement. “Simply put, the internet is too important to consumers and too essential to innovation to be left unprotected and uncertain.”

Image: Free Press