freepress.net FCC Chief ‘Boldly’ Commits to Net Neutrality By Tim Karr, September 21, 2009 http The Federal Communications Commission just took a big step forward for Net Neutrality with the announcement Monday of FCC Chair Julius Genachowskis plans to expand the rules to protect a free and open Internet. In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Genachowski said the FCC must be a “smart cop on the beat preserving Net Neutrality against increased efforts by providers to block services and applications over both wired and wireless connections. Genachowskis speech comes as a breath of fresh air in a Washington policy environment that has long stagnated under the influence of a powerful phone and cable lobby. If we wait too long to preserve a free and open Internet, it will be too late, Genachowski said citing a number of recent examples where network providers have acted as gatekeepers: We have witnessed certain broadband providers unilaterally block access to VoIP applications (phone calls delivered over data networks) and implement technical measures that degrade the performance of peer-to-peer software distributing lawful content. We have even seen at least one service provider deny users access to political content. The agency has earlier noted concerns about the blocking of applications and services on new handheld Internet devices such as the iPhone. There are compelling reasons to be concerned about the future of openness across all platforms, Genachowski added …