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Originally published June 8, 2009 at 3:38 PM | Page modified June 8, 2009 at 3:55 PM

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Editorial

Net neutrality gains political traction

The fight to maintain free and open access to the Internet gained political strength, including a recent boost from President Obama.

Free and open access to the Internet helped the technology grow and thrive. The political fight to maintain robust access for all has picked up strength in Washington, D.C. That is good news for consumers.

The shorthand for the field of battle is net neutrality. Proponents argue that a network provider should not restrict users for reasons against their interests, such as to deny them the right to use certain services because those services are owned by somebody else.

An early pitched battle defeated legislation that would have allowed Internet access providers to charge customers variable rates by speed of service. The stakes for consumers were bluntly defined.

President Obama recently invigorated the pursuit of net neutrality in a speech about the security of U.S. interests in cyberspace. He promised to work with private industry to protect Internet technology from attack and manipulation, and at the same time protect the privacy of Americans.

Obama also pledged to "keep the Internet as it should be, open and free." Those words are part of the changing dynamic on Capitol Hill about net neutrality.

Democrats control the gavels in key committees. The president's nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, is an unequivocal proponent of net neutrality, as is the new head of the Federal Trade Commission, Jon Leibowitz.

The Obama administration is intent on spreading access to the Internet to all corners of the country, and protecting consumers from having their pockets picked by inventive Internet providers.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

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Comments (10)
Net neutrality is necessary. Keep the corporations from robbing us blind, which they will do if given the chance. At the time when there were a...  Posted on June 8, 2009 at 9:11 PM by boogiedown. Jump to comment
Add Clearwire to the list of lying slimebag ISPs who promise the moon, charge like they've delivered the sun, and provide "access"...  Posted on June 9, 2009 at 6:54 AM by East of Eden. Jump to comment
Everywhere you look, there are greedy a-holes trying to get more and more from us. It good to hear there are some fighting to save what's left.  Posted on June 8, 2009 at 5:53 PM by I'm Fed Up!. Jump to comment


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