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In the gush of praise for Julius Genachowski’s March 3 nomination as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, two words were often missing: network neutrality. Perhaps reflecting the delicate nature of the issue in Washington, virtually no one was talking about it, even those who are confident that Genachowski will warmly embrace network neutrality policies.
As the obligatory plaudits piled up in the wake of Genachowski’s nomination, only CCIA (Computer & Communications Industry Association) President and CEO Ed Black brought up network neutrality, and he was somewhat vague regarding Genachowski’s part in it.
“Decisions now on issues such as network neutrality and wireless spectrum reform will be especially important because they will be incorporated into the very fabric of the Internet and telecommunications going forward,” Black said in a statement. “As demonstrated by his work on the Obama campaign’s policy positions, [Genachowski] is sensitive to the legitimate concerns of the many stakeholders, including government, industry and consumers. We are very confident that Julius Genachowski gets it!”
A top aide to two former Democratic FCC chairmen, co-founder and managing director of LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures, a former executive with Barry Diller’s IAC and a board member of several Internet ventures, including Expedia and The Motley Fool, Genachowski is widely considered to be an architect of President Obama’s Technology and Innovation Plan, which supports “the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.”