Heroes of the open Internet
March 28th, 2008 | Published in Google Public Policy
The fight to keep the Internet free and open is, at its heart, motivated by a keen vision of how the world ought to be -- interconnected by open communications networks on which free expression, creativity, community, culture, commerce, politics, innovation, and competition thrive. The movement behind that fight is fueled by a powerful awareness that the Internet has, to an astonishing extent, made that vision possible, yet today finds itself under threat from a complex matrix of business and political interests.
In recent weeks, there has been some good news for the open Internet movement. In response to a growing public outcry, some major wireline carriers around the world are taking small but important steps toward content-, service-, and protocol-neutral network management. Some major wireless carriers have announced moves toward opening their networks. The 700mhz auction triggered important open-device and open-application requirements for new nationwide mobile networks. The Federal Communications Commission has been showing genuine concern about the potential for abuse inherent in non-neutral carrier policies. And key members of Congress are calling for legislative action. Pretty impressive (though no one's counting any unhatched chickens, I can assure you).
There are many heroes who built the movement and got it to this point, and one of them just got some well-deserved recognition: The Washington Post is today running a profile of Free Press's Ben Scott. A tip of the hat to Ben and his team at Free Press. It's great to see a major newspaper getting into the details around the open Internet debate.