Obama's Statement on Net Neutrality Vote

There are people on the left (who say Obama "caved") and the right (who says the new rules go too far), which I typically take as a good sign. The new rules don't apply to wireless providers, just the traditional cable and telecom companies. The new rules would prevent your cable company, for example, from blocking websites such as Hulu.

Statement by the President on Today’s FCC Vote on Net Neutrality

Today’s decision will help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet while encouraging innovation, protecting consumer choice, and defending free speech. Throughout this process, parties on all sides of this issue – from consumer groups to technology companies to broadband providers – came together to make their voices heard. This decision is an important component of our overall strategy to advance American innovation, economic growth, and job creation.

As a candidate for President, I pledged to preserve the freedom and openness that have allowed the Internet to become a transformative and powerful platform for speech and expression. That’s a pledge I’ll continue to keep as President. As technology and the market continue to evolve at a rapid pace, my Administration will remain vigilant and see to it that innovation is allowed to flourish, that consumers are protected from abuse, and that the democratic spirit of the Internet remains intact.

I congratulate the FCC, its Chairman, Julius Genachowski, and Congressman Henry Waxman for their work achieving this important goal today.

Genachowski:

Net neutrality explained:

Stevie Wonder Joins Obama in Bill Signing - Video

This bill is "To ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to emerging Internet Protocol-based communication and video programming technologies in the 21st Century."

CSPAN Interview with CTO Aneesh Chopra

United States' Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra discusses his philosophy on spectrum for wireless:

FCC Gears Up for Net Neutrality Fight

Net neutrality, a principle that Obama campaigned on, would mean telecom, cable and wireless companies couldn't slow down or block content or sites. Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, will be giving a speech on net neutrality today at the Brookings Institute.

Read Google's net neutrality advocacy page here. It's good for consumers, lousy for telecoms, which are expected to put up a fight. Republicans side with telecoms:

The U.S. government plans to propose broad new rules Monday that would force Internet providers to treat all Web traffic equally, seeking to give consumers greater freedom to use their computers or cellphones to enjoy videos, music and other legal services that hog bandwidth.

The move would make good on a campaign promise to Silicon Valley supporters like Google Inc. from President Barack Obama, but will trigger a battle with phone and cable companies like AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp., which don't want the government telling them how to run their networks. WSJ

Meanwhile, The Big Broadband Push

Making the Internet more like electricity? Net neutrality? Wireless competition?

FCC Head Does Not Support Reinstatement of Fairness Doctrine

For months, the right wing looney tunes, Sean Hannity especially, tried to make people believe that Obama was going to not only take away their guns but also their free speech. FCC nominee Julius Genachowski states clearly and concisely in this video that that's not the case. The only trouble is, Hannity's audience will never know any better. They already believe what they believe.

Obama Picks Julius Genachowski to Head FCC

Genachowski, now on Obama's transition team, has been picked to head the FCC. 
This choice appears to be a good one for we, the people:

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Consumer and public interest groups heaped praise on U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's choice to head the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, and they predicted smooth confirmation by the Senate.

Obama has selected Julius Genachowski, a technology executive and former classmate from Harvard Law School, to lead the FCC, a Democratic source said late on Monday.

Genachowski was chief counsel for Reed Hundt, an FCC chairman under former President Bill Clinton. He also held various positions at Internet search and media company IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI.O) and several firms investing in technology, including Rock Creek Ventures and LaunchBox Digital.

Among the FCC's mandates are regulation of telephone and cable companies, oversight of concentration of ownership of radio and television outlets, and auctioning public airwaves. Read the rest.

Information Week calls Julius a tech guru.
More on Julius from the Financial Times:

“Julius will without doubt be the first true internet chairman” of the agency, said one former FCC official. If confirmed, he was likely to make the expansion of broadband internet access a central part of his agenda, the official added. The issue has already been identified as an important part of the Obama economic stimulus package.

As a key aide to Barry Diller, the US media mogul, Mr Genachowski played a central role in creating IAC, now one of the largest US internet concerns. He later went on to found a venture capital firm in Washington.

Mr Genachowski was also the mastermind behind Mr Obama’s online campaign strategy during last year’s presidential election. The campaign’s pioneering use of social networking, internet video and other online techniques has since made it the blueprint for political campaigns globally.

Here is his bio at Rock Creek Ventures:

Julius Genachowski is a cofounder and managing director of Rock Creek Ventures. He is a founding partner of LaunchBox Digital, and chairman and cofounder of Thummit, which are Rock Creek Ventures companies. Julius is also a special advisor at General Atlantic. Prior to Rock Creek Ventures, Julius was a senior executive for eight years at IAC/InterActiveCorp (1997-2005), serving as Chief of Business Operations, General Counsel, and a member of Barry Diller's Office of the Chairman, and playing a key role in IAC's growth to become a multibillion-dollar global major e-commerce and new media company. He has served on the Boards of Directors or Advisors of several companies, including Web.com, Ticketmaster, The Motley Fool, Beliefnet (sold to NewsCorp), Truveo (sold to AOL), and Rapt (sold to Microsoft). He is part of the founding group of New Resource Bank, the country's first commercial green bank. Business Week listed Mr. Genachowski as one of 25 "Managers to Watch" in the media industry in 2005, and American Lawyer listed him as one of the "Public Sector 45" in 1997. Julius has served as Chief Counsel to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1994-1997. He was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter (1993-1994), to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (ret.) (1992-1992), and to Chief Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1991-1992). He worked in Congress in 1995-1998, on the staff of the special Congressional committee investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, and has worked for Senator (then Representative) Charles E. Schumer. Julius received a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from Columbia College. He is on the Board of Directors of Common Sense Media, and has served on the Board of Advisors of Environmental Entrepreneurs.