The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to vote in February on new restrictions regarding how broadband Internet providers may treat traffic on their networks. A source confirmed to the Washington Post that FCC Chair Tom Wheeler intends to circulate a draft proposal internally next month and get the measure approved in the weeks following.

Although the new rules are still being written, they are expected to prevent broadband providers such as Verizon and Comcast from speeding up or slowing down certain websites compared to others. Such an affirmation of net neutrality – the principle that Internet service providers should treat all online traffic equally – would be a far cry from the first set of proposed rules that Wheeler released back in April. Those rules would have allowed Internet providers to charge websites like Netflix or Skype for faster Internet, essentially creating two lanes for online traffic: a fast lane for companies that can “pay to play,” and a slow lane for the rest who cannot.

After a massive public outcry, and criticism from President Obama, Wheeler and the FCC went back to the drawing board. Specifically, President Obama and other advocates would like to see the FCC pursue “reclassification,” or reclassifying Internet providers to be regulated under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, like telephone companies, which allows for stricter regulation. Currently, the FCC classifies Internet delivery as an “information service,” which is more lightly regulated under Title I of the Act.

Whether the FCC will take this regulatory path, or some other route, remains to be seen. Reclassification would undoubtedly provoke a lawsuit from Internet providers.

“Let me be real clear, I want to make sure that as I said last time that we were together, that we get … the open Internet item done fast, we get it done right and we get it done permanently” Wheeler told The Hill in mid-December.