FCC makes good on promise to pursue net neutrality

Robert Hallock 21 Sep, 2009 at 11:48pm ET Article published in Tech

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski vowed on August 27 to purse the agenda of net neutrality promised by the Obama administration during the election period, and today the first overtures towards fulfilling that promise have been made.

In a riveting prepared statement, the Chairman detailed a veritable cornucopia of ideals that the FCC would soon be pursuing. Chief amongst them, the spirit of openness and freedom in which the Internet was conceived.

It was developed as a way to connect the world, to share ideas, and to exchange information. The overall goal, infers Genachowski, is to create a nation with non-discriminatory treatment of devices and protocols that upholds that spirit going forward.

I understand the Internet is a dynamic network and that technology continues to grow and evolve. I recognize that if we were to create unduly detailed rules that attempted to address every possible assault on openness, such rules would become outdated quickly. But the fact that the Internet is evolving rapidly does not mean we can, or should, abandon the underlying values fostered by an open network, or the important goal of setting rules of the road to protect the free and open Internet.

Saying nothing — and doing nothing — would impose its own form of unacceptable cost. It would deprive innovators and investors of confidence that the free and open Internet we depend upon today will still be here tomorrow. It would deny the benefits of predictable rules of the road to all players in the Internet ecosystem. And it would be a dangerous retreat from the core principle of openness — the freedom to innovate without permission — that has been a hallmark of the Internet since its inception, and has made it so stunningly successful as a platform for innovation, opportunity, and prosperity.

Tomorrow we will be publishing a detailed account of the landmark events in US telecom history that brought us to the present, current efforts in regulation, and how all involved parties are reacting to current events.

In the mean time, you can view the full text of Chairman Genachowski’s speech at the FCC’s new openinternet.gov website.

Comments

22 Sep 2009 ~ 6:19am Septimus Perhaps other nations will find inspiration in this and adopt similar policies. As one who suffers under bandwidth rationing and arbitrary throttling of speeds I hope this will be the beginning of the end of such practices.
22 Sep 2009 ~ 8:34am Cliff_Forster Three cheers for common sense!
22 Sep 2009 ~ 9:53am BlackHawk 'Open internet' rules criticised

Mobile providers have argued that US proposals to ensure that all traffic on the internet is treated equally should not be applied to wireless traffic.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants rules to prevent providers blocking or slowing down bandwidth-heavy usage such as streaming video.

Providers claim a two-tiered system is essential for the future vitality of the net.

Mobile operators said any regulation would damage innovation.

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said doing nothing was not an option.

Continued
22 Sep 2009 ~ 10:01am Thrax I hope the ghost of Carterphone past jumps up and kicks all mobile carriers in the junk.
22 Sep 2009 ~ 1:33pm Snarkasm

Thrax wrote:

I hope the ghost of Carterphone past jumps up and kicks all mobile carriers in the junk.
22 Sep 2009 ~ 1:50pm Snarkasm Also:

BBC wrote:

Verizon, the nation's biggest cellphone operator, said it believed the FCC had no reason to impose "a new set of regulations that will limit customer choices...

How exactly will providing for an open internet, where nobody can restrict anything, LIMIT CUSTOMER CHOICES? It does nothing but PROVIDE choice! Now nobody can say "we have the fastest connections to ComedyCentral.com and Disney!" - everybody's exactly the same, nobody can get an advantage based on content or speed, and the consumer gets to choose based on REAL factors - like price, or customer service.

Get the fuck out of here, Verizon.
22 Sep 2009 ~ 3:04pm Cliff_Forster Snark,

I find it unusually satisfying that we have found at least one issue that we totally agree on.
22 Sep 2009 ~ 7:45pm ardichoke

Cliff_Forster wrote:

Three cheers for common sense!

That's all I have to say about common sense.
22 Sep 2009 ~ 7:50pm lunchb0x Ahh Deadpool. The best of the super heroes