Regulation of Internet faces possible changes
Debate over "Net neutrality" again becomes a difficult issue in Washington
Issue date: 9/24/09 Section: World News
WASHINGTON (MCT) - The nation's top telecommunications networks regulator said Monday he will push for formal rules to protect the Internet from discriminatory practices that could block consumers from accessing certain Web sites or services.
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said a free and open Internet remains critical to the future growth of the U.S. economy. He plans to circulate his proposal soon among the FCC's five commissioners and hold public hearings later this year.
The Republican-led FCC adopted four principles in 2005 designed to keep the Internet open. Genachowski, a Democrat chosen by President Barack Obama, wants to turn the FCC's principles into concrete rules and add two more. That would give additional legal muscle to the enforcement of the agency's rules.
The debate over how to regulate the Internet - an issue known as "Net neutrality" - has simmered in Washington for the past decade. So far there have been few instances of major violations, but Genachowski warned that "we're seeing the breaks and cracks emerge." Cable giant Comcast Corp. was discovered last year to be secretly blocking some large file transfers between users.
"We need to think about the networks we need today as well as the networks we'll need tomorrow," Obama said during a speech in upstate New York after Genachowski's initiative was unveiled.
One of the new rules proposed by Genachowski would bar owners of both wireless and wireline networks from blocking access to any Web site or application, including services that compete with their own, except in very limited circumstances. Wireless has been excluded from the FCC's Internet-protection oversight.
"It is essential that the Internet remain open, however users reach it," Genachowski said in a speech Monday at the Brookings Institution.
The FCC would continue to allow operators to institute "reasonable" rules to manage their networks to protect against spam, fraud, congestion or other problems. Another proposal by Genachowski would force operators to clearly disclose their network-management practices.
The FCC chairman left open the possibility that network operators could sell enhanced Internet services to customers willing to pay more, so long as "ample" speed and bandwidth is available for other consumers and businesses.
Genachowski also emphasized the FCC would not overstep its bounds. Citing his experience as a media executive and high-tech investor, he acknowledged that excessive rules could crimp innovation and
investment.
"This is not about government regulation of the Internet," he said. "It's about fair rules of the road for companies that control access to the Internet."
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said a free and open Internet remains critical to the future growth of the U.S. economy. He plans to circulate his proposal soon among the FCC's five commissioners and hold public hearings later this year.
The Republican-led FCC adopted four principles in 2005 designed to keep the Internet open. Genachowski, a Democrat chosen by President Barack Obama, wants to turn the FCC's principles into concrete rules and add two more. That would give additional legal muscle to the enforcement of the agency's rules.
The debate over how to regulate the Internet - an issue known as "Net neutrality" - has simmered in Washington for the past decade. So far there have been few instances of major violations, but Genachowski warned that "we're seeing the breaks and cracks emerge." Cable giant Comcast Corp. was discovered last year to be secretly blocking some large file transfers between users.
"We need to think about the networks we need today as well as the networks we'll need tomorrow," Obama said during a speech in upstate New York after Genachowski's initiative was unveiled.
One of the new rules proposed by Genachowski would bar owners of both wireless and wireline networks from blocking access to any Web site or application, including services that compete with their own, except in very limited circumstances. Wireless has been excluded from the FCC's Internet-protection oversight.
"It is essential that the Internet remain open, however users reach it," Genachowski said in a speech Monday at the Brookings Institution.
The FCC would continue to allow operators to institute "reasonable" rules to manage their networks to protect against spam, fraud, congestion or other problems. Another proposal by Genachowski would force operators to clearly disclose their network-management practices.
The FCC chairman left open the possibility that network operators could sell enhanced Internet services to customers willing to pay more, so long as "ample" speed and bandwidth is available for other consumers and businesses.
Genachowski also emphasized the FCC would not overstep its bounds. Citing his experience as a media executive and high-tech investor, he acknowledged that excessive rules could crimp innovation and
investment.
"This is not about government regulation of the Internet," he said. "It's about fair rules of the road for companies that control access to the Internet."
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