FCC Chair Closes in on Network Neutrality

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski (pictured) is inching closer to securing approval for his network neutrality proposal designed to protect the openness of the Internet. The National Journal reports that fellow Democrats Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn may be ready to sign on the deal.

According the Journal, Copps and Clyburn have been reluctant to go along with the chairman’s plan because it is too favorable to major broadband providers. An FCC source tells the National Journal’s Tech Daily Dose column that progress is being made in “addressing concerns about wireless carriers, limiting Internet toll lanes and adding protections for a new online pricing model.”

According to the Journal, Republicans on the commission object to the rules as unnecessary government regulation. The new regulations could be considered at the commission’s meeting on Tuesday.