FCC rules benefit consumers

FCC rules benefit consumers

San Jose Mercury: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski’s announcement last week that he plans to add teeth to government guidelines regarding “network neutrality” was a victory for consumers and for Silicon Valley — really, for anyone who wants to protect the Internet’s historic role as an engine of innovation, creativity and economic growth.

Since 2005, the FCC has used four so-called “principles” to encourage Internet service providers to allow all content to be distributed freely on their networks, even if the content was provided by their competitors. But Genachowski said that he would turn the principles — essentially just policy statements — into enforceable rules.

Just the beginning

The FCC still must develop the specifics of these rules, which must then be approved by its five-member board. Doing so would preserve one of the foundations of Silicon Valley, which is, in Genachowski’s words, “the freedom to innovate without permission.”

The wireless industry is emerging as the primary opponent of Genachowski’s plan, saying that regulations created for the broadband world, where competition is scarce, shouldn’t apply to the vibrant marketplace for wireless products.

But the FCC doesn’t write rules in a vacuum. It will spend months gathering public ideas and concerns as its staff works on the specific regulations. Surely it can come up with rules that recognize the differences between broadband and mobile delivery methods while protecting an open and free Internet that offers consumer choice and inspires entrepreneurship.