The FCC’s weak new “open Internet” rules

“The neutering of the Internet is now the unofficial policy of
the Federal Communications Commission. Contrary to the happy talk
from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski at a rule-making announcement
today in Washington, the move is well underway to turn the Internet
into a regulated playground for corporate giants.

“Tuesday’s FCC vote on rules purportedly designed to ensure open
and free networks was a 3-2 partisan charade, with Genachowski and
the other two Democratic commissioners in favor and the two
Republicans against. It did nothing of the sort. The short-term
result will be confusion and jockeying for position. Genachowski’s
claim that the rules bring “a level of certainty” to the landscape
was laughable unless he was talking about lobbyists and lawyers;
their futures are certainly looking prosperous. The longer-range
result will be to solidify the power of the incumbent powerhouses
— especially telecommunications providers and the entertainment
industry — to take much more control over what we do online.”

Complete Story