LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nation's top telecommunications regulator defended his latest proposal to protect an open Internet, warning cable companies that manipulating data traffic on their networks for profit would not be tolerated.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler told The Cable Show on Wednesday that rules he's proposed won't permit Internet service providers from pushing most users onto a "slow lane" so others who pay for priority access can have superior service.

Wheeler said if someone tries to divide the Internet between "haves" and "have nots," the commission will use all its power to stop it.

Wheeler's comments come after he proposed rules last week that would replace the FCC's open Internet order from 2010 which was struck down by a federal appeals court in January.