FCC's Genachowski Calls From More Web Regs

Acknowledging that a court ruling in April undermined the government's ability to regulate the Internet, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said regulators will draw up more narrowly defined rules to govern the information superhighway."That court decision in the Comcast case damaged the legal foundation underneath the policies of promoting broadband adoption, lowering the cost of investment (and) promoting investment, innovation and competition," he said Thursday at the NCTA's Cable Show.But he vowed the FCC would "reject the doing-nothing extreme" in the ruling's aftermath."What our staff has developed is a narrow and legal approach that has barriers against regulatory creep," he said.In a dialogue with NCTA chief Kyle McSlarrow, Genachowski praised the industry's $160 million broadband infrastructure investment of the past decade but said the U.S. still lags others in the availability and use of broadband services. Both agreed that outreach is need to serve the one-fourth of the U.S. population lacking computers and public schools without broadband access.The FCC and the industry "recognize it would be desirable for consumers to have an easy, integrated way to navigate their pay TV, video over the Internet and other video they buy," Genachowski said.The regulator called the situation a "classic triangle of consumers, innovation and competition." The iPad and Kindle should help spread access to technology, he said."The 21st century is going to be about the information grid," Genachowski said. "It's not going to be appliances but information."That should fuel jobs growth, he added.Meantime, McSlarrow said Google acts like a competitor to cable in taking a contrary view on so-called net neutrality, even though the two share the broadband spectrum. "This issue isn't about Google," Genachowski replied. "This is about the next Google, the next eBay, the next Amazon. It's about speakers who don't want to be censored on the Internet ... and making sure consumers ... can connect to whatever is on the Internet."The Obama team has tried to "run a commission that operates differently than it has before with the 'most open and transparent' FCC ever," he said.Genachowski said commissioners have empowered agency staff "to take advantage of the marketplace of ideas, to do a better job."

Performance Marketing

FCC's Genachowski Calls From More Web Regs

Alex Ben Block

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Alex Ben Block