FCC Chair Unveils Two Additional Proposed Pillars of Net Neutrality

As promised, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski today gave a speech in which he offered up two fresh principles of net neutrality he would like to see addressed in the National Broadband Plan.

The speech (full text here), entitled “Preserving a Free and Open Internet: A Platform for Innovation, Opportunity, and Prosperity,” was given at The Brookings Institute in Washington, DC. Genachowski began by extolling the virtues of an open Internet and referencing the ability of young entrepreneurs, such as the founders of eBay, Facebook and Netscape, to take advantage of the open architecture and create innovative businesses.

He outlined the four Internet principles that currently guide the FCC’s enforcement of communication laws: “Network operators cannot prevent users from accessing the lawful Internet content, applications, and services of their choice, nor can they prohibit users from attaching non-harmful devices to the network.”

Genachowski then introduced two additional principles he would like to see adopted as Commission rules: The fifth principle of non-discrimination, which states that “broadband providers cannot discriminate against particular Internet content or applications,” and the sixth principle of transparency, which states that “providers of broadband Internet access must be transparent about their network management practices.”

Noting that his “fundamental goal” is “preserving the openness and freedom of the Internet,” Genachowski added:

This is not about government regulation of the Internet. It’s about fair rules of the road for companies that control access to the Internet. We will do as much as we need to do, and no more, to ensure that the Internet remains an unfettered platform for competition, creativity, and entrepreneurial activity.