Open Internet Needed for All

[Commentary] The Internet was born on openness, has flourished on openness and depends on openness to realize its full potential. And its potential is so great.

This incredible technology intersects with just about every great challenge confronting our nation -- whether it's jobs, education, energy, climate change and the environment, news, international competitiveness, health care or equal opportunity. There's no solution for any of these challenges that does not have a broadband component to it. We now have a technology with near limitless potential and are just beginning to truly harness its full ability.

But online freedom of Americans is at risk. The conversation about bringing broadband to every corner of the country and protecting consumers and their access to the open Internet is an important one -- one that should not occur just in Washington, D.C. After all, this is about keeping the Internet open for new entrants, small companies and people of all backgrounds across our great nation. This is about people with limited access to capital and about minorities and women, people living on tribal lands or in inner cities, who have waited for too long for real opportunities in the traditional communications space to have equal opportunities on the Internet.

So that's why I'm here in Albuquerque: to hear from you.