In his January 8th speech at the Computer History Musuem (CHM), F.C.C. Chairman Tom Wheeler said we were in the midst of a transition to a “4th Generation Network” which had an “Open Internet” as it’s foundation. The concept of net neutrality- where there are no privileges or added costs or special deals for high bandwidth media/content delivery companies- was clearly implied. ”Not unlike how the radio stations of the 1920s needed to be protected from technical interference, today’s entrepreneurs need to have a fair opportunity to reach their customers over the biggest technological channel of them all—the Internet,” Wheeler said during his prepared remarks at the CHM. ”No one in Silicon Valley needs to be convinced of the importance for innovation and overall societal welfare of our broadband networks. Keeping them open for any and all lawful uses is a major policy imperative. It is essential in the public interest of our country that the government, and by government I mean the FCC, have the power to oversee the broadband networks and to intervene to forestall their exploitation by unacceptable acts,” Wheeler added. That Open Internet policy is now in jeopardy. On January 14th a federal appeals court tossed out […]
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