diff --git a/wssh/server.py b/wssh/server.py
index 17a4965..3b23539 100644
--- a/wssh/server.py
+++ b/wssh/server.py
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ def _forward_inbound(self, channel):
                 data = self._websocket.receive()
                 if not data:
                     return
+                data = data.encode("utf-8")
                 data = json.loads(str(data))
                 if 'resize' in data:
                     channel.resize_pty(