For many months, we have been working very hard with Chairman Genachowski's office, the Congress, and a broad array of stakeholders to try to find a fair and appropriate balance that would enable the FCC to codify a light regulatory approach that would protect the openness of the Internet but that would also protect the continued investment and innovation that has made the Internet the vibrant and dynamic place that it is today. As we have said previously, this was never about whether the Internet should be free and open as the ISP community (including Comcast) has long pledged to take no steps that would threaten the openness of the Internet -- the issue was how the FCC could accomplish this objective without also creating unintended and adverse consequences.
We believe Chairman Genachowski's proposal, as described this morning, strikes a workable balance between the needs of the marketplace and the certainty that carefully-crafted and limited rules can provide to ensure that Internet freedom and openness are preserved.
By taking an approach that is similar to that which was negotiated last fall by key legislators, Internet content and application companies, broadband ISPs, and other stakeholders, we believe there should be a strong consensus for the Chairman's approach. Most importantly, the approach the Chairman has outlined will remove the cloud that Title II regulation of broadband would place over continued innovation and investment in the Internet.
We applaud the Chairman and the Commission for conducting an open and inclusive process where everyone had the opportunity to be heard. This proposal also reflects the hard work of Members of Congress of both parties who met with stakeholders to forge a workable compromise on this complex issue.
We anticipate that the final Order considered by the Commission will incorporate the careful balancing that the Chairman described in his remarks today. While we obviously will need to see the actual language of the final Order, the careful and balanced approach laid out by the Chairman today has our support.