Federal Communications Commision Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed last week that the government agency begin regulating the Internet in an effort to ensure that its open network principles are upheld.  There is currently no body of government legislating the Internet, but the FCC has guidelines that preserve the concept of network neutrality. 

Network neutrality has many definitions, but Genachowski reiterated the FCC’s current philosophy that consumers should have equal and unrestricted access to any content on the Internet as long as it is legal and does not cause harm.

He also outlined several new policies the FCC wishes to implement. Among these changes were two additions to the current net model, the first being that Internet providers cannot block, slow down or favor any activity or application over others. The second addition was the requirement for Internet providers to be transparent about how they are running their system. Genachowski said that the FCC is exploring the idea of applying these restrictions to the wireless landscape as well.

    If the regulations are enacted, the FCC will be forcing broadband providers to homogenize their network, effectively hampering their ability to manage their infrastructure.

This change affects De Anza students in a multitude of ways. To put it bluntly, you may be paying more for your Internet connection. In order to accommodate your burning desire to download your favorite seasons of “Will and Grace” off of BitTorrent, Comcast might require you to pay up the cash equivalent to the amount of content you’re grabbing. 

This is doubly restricting for wireless networks. Cell phone companies are currently struggling to meet demands for their services; Apple and AT&T have had similar problems meeting demands for the 3G.

Managing security would also be difficult. Rather than preventing a virus that is spiraling out of control, cable providers would have their hands tied because traffic would be unhindered.  

This new push by the FCC also sets a precedent for officially proposing regulation on the Internet. It could lead to a slew of new restrictions, bogging down the innovative properties of the World Wide Web that brought us YouTube, eBay and Twitter. 

Eventually, this could snowball into the same censorship that the FCC has forced upon radio and television. There are more policies currently being drafted, and although the FCC’s current actions are in the spirit of democracy and a free Internet, the shadow of Big Brother may be looming. 

Cable companies have been competing for years, and the free market has shaped the way we access the web. The only way to encourage the massive growth and freedom we see on the Internet today is to let it take care of itself. It is also possible that with the evolution of the Internet we may be able to get past certain hurdles that have plagued our current model. Bob Kahn, co-inventor of the Transmission Control and Internet Protocols utilized to transmit information over the Internet, had this to say about network regulation: “Unfortunately, congressional initiatives aimed at preserving the best of the old Internet threaten to stifle the emergence of the new one.”  

Fortunately, these changes are not final yet, and the FCC has launched a website, OpenInternet.gov, as a forum for discussion on the topic.