FTC Adds 'Net Neutrality' Inventor to Staff

Tim Wu, the Columbia University law professor who coined the term "net neutrality," is leaving academia for the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning. As a senior advisor, Wu will assist the agency in the developing and implementing consumer protection and competition policy affecting the Internet and mobile markets.

Wu is also the author of The Master Switch, a book that chronicles the consolidation of information industries and predicts the ultimate consolidation of the Internet market. The book was named a best book of 2010 by The New Yorker, Publisher's Weekly, Fortune and other publications.

Wu is the FTC's second hire from academia to beef up its expertise in Internet privacy and consumer protection. In January, the commission brought aboard Edward Felten, a former computer science professor from Princeton University.

The FTC has taken center stage in the debate over how much the government should
regulate online privacy. Taking a tough stand and saying that the industry has failed to act quickly enough, the FTC issued a report suggesting several approaches, including implementing a "Do Not Track" mechanism. Comments on the FTC's report, issued in December, are due next week.

"Although [Wu] may be known for his work on net neutrality, here at the FTC he'll be working on issues at the nexus of consumer protection, competition, law and technology," said Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC in a press statement.

Wu starts work at his new job on Monday.