Good News Out Of The FCC

As FCC head Julius Genachowski is making Net Neutrality his first major issue as Chairman.

Genachowski will discuss the rules Monday during a keynote speech at The Brookings Institute. He isn't expected to drill into many details but the proposal will be for an additional guideline that network operators can't discriminate, or act as gatekeepers, of Web content. That proposal will be reviewed across platforms, including wireless networks which have come under scrutiny for allegations of blocking competing voice services offered by carriers.

The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because details of the new regulations haven't been officially announced.

It would be the first bold move by Genachowski, who served as President Obama's technology advisor during the campaign and transition. The rule could upset wireless, telecom and cable operators who have fought against regulations that would give them less control over traffic that runs on their networks. They argue that they need to maintain flexibility to manage traffic to ensure some applications don't take up too much bandwidth and make Web access slower for some users.

But the rule, which is expected to come in the form of a fifth principal to existing guidelines for network operators, would clearly spell out that carriers can't discriminate what applications run on their networks, according to a source. The agency is expected to review what traffic management is reasonable and what practices are discriminatory. The principals are guidelines set forth by the agency, which some public interest groups have sought to codify so that they would clearly be enforceable by the agency.

Good, and something long overdue. We'll see the details that Genachowski will propose in a few days, and if he's coming down as solidly on the side of Net Neutrality as it appears he is, that's nothing but good news for internet users and not have your internet company possibly block sites or charge you extra on top of your internet access bill just to say, get to a competitor's site.

Imagine AT&T charging you extra every time you accessed your Verizon bill online, or Time Warner Cable charging you more for going to FOX News instead of CNN. If Genachowski is serious about ending this practice, then we're all far better off.