President Obama once again affirmed his unyielding commitment to an open Internet. He called out his support of Net Neutrality during an announcement on Friday of plans to beef up defenses against cyber-attacks, .
The Web-savvy commander-in-chief said he planned to select a new "cyber-czar" to guard the nation against new forms of digital terrorism, but he also pledged not to trample the civil liberties of Net users in the process.
"Let me also be clear about what we will not do," the president said during the announcement. "Our pursuit of cyber security will not -- I repeat, will not include -- monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic. We will preserve and protect the personal privacy and civil liberties that we cherish as Americans. Indeed, I remain firmly committed to Net Neutrality so we can keep the Internet as it should be -- open and free."
Obama's made it clear that he considers Net Neutrality an essential component of his administration's sweeping Internet agenda. The president's words sent a strong message to Congress -- as well as to the phone and cable companies -- that now is the time to end the stalemate on this crucial issue and secure open Internet protections for future generations.
They also signal that he has no intention of repeating the mistakes of George W. Bush, whose administration colluded with phone companies to sift through online communications, and tap phone lines without legal warrant.
It’s not the first time that Obama signaled his support for Net Neutrality. In February, the president signed the economic stimulus bill that included $7.2 billion to get fast and open Internet to the nearly half of American homes that don’t have it. Net Neutrality was
written into the DNA of the broadband stimulus.
While on the campaign trail, Obama pledged to "take a back seat to no one" in his commitment to Net Neutrality. And the administration’s technology policies posted on the White House Web site list Net Neutrality as the top priority.
Obama’s pick to head the FCC, Julius Genachowski, was one of the principal architects of the president’s pro-Net Neutrality platform. Expect Genachowski’s nomination to go before the Senate in the coming weeks.