ITIF: Reclassification of Broadband Not Necessary

In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation argued that subjecting broadband to regulations designed for telecommunications is not necessary at present time.

"The Internet's history suggests that self-governance is the most effective mechanism for ensuring both progress and openness," the comment concludes. To be clear, ITIF does not suggest that the Internet should be void of regulation, but rather that a panel of Internet stakeholders -- Internet firms, academics, think tank analysts, and public interest lobbyists--should develop interim guidelines pending Congressional action clarifying the FCC's role in relation to the Internet. ITIF maintains that proponents of reclassification incorrectly assume that net neutrality and openness of the Internet are one and the same. "A truly open Internet -- one in which new applications run successfully side-by-side with traditional ones, is not neutral, it's fair and active."