Last Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a rule intended to preserve the ability of individuals to access all lawful content or software without interference by their Internet service provider (ISP). This principle often goes by the name « net neutrality, » reflecting the idea that the ISP should be neutral as to the content people choose to access over their Internet connection.
The fundamental technologies of the Internet have always been open; the FCC’s proposed rules would merely preserve that openness. The principle that any « bit » of information is treated the same as any other bit is a defining characteristic of the Internet; it is a central aspect of the design that has lead to the unprecedented impact of the Internet on our lives.
Our company, Mozilla, which produces the Firefox Web browser, is but one example of the innovation and participation made possible by an open Internet. As a small, unknown start-up we were able to coordinate the actions of people worldwide to build Firefox with access to Internet facilities on the same terms as well-funded entities.
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