NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: October 10, 2012 Neil Grace, 202-418-0506 Email: Neil.Grace@fcc.gov FCC CHAIRMAN TO INTERNATIONAL LEADERS: UPCOMING U.N. CONFERENCE A CROSSROADS, DEVELOPED AND EMERGING ECONOMIES MUST PRESERVE FREE & OPEN INTERNET Says open markets, competition vital for continued broadband growth worldwide Washington, D.C. – Speaking at the Futurecom conference in Rio de Janeiro today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said that the upcoming World Conference of International Telecommunications (WCIT) will “be a crossroads for the Internet,” determining whether it remains free and open, or becomes increasingly impeded by international regulations. He urged leaders in the developed world and emerging economies to reject proposals for new international regulation of the Internet. FCC Chairman Genachowski said, “We have a path that led to the extraordinary growth of broadband and the Internet - the path of open markets, competition, and the free flow of information - and we should stay on that path.” Chairman Genachowski called for the continued preservation of an open Internet as part of a vision which embraces competition, market-based policies, and the existing multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance. “There are proposals that seek to impose on the Internet a new layer of outdated, heavy-handed regulatory structures and to alter how Internet traffic is exchanged – calling for a so-called ‘sender pays’ approach. Other proposals would involve the International Telecommunication Union in regulating cybersecurity, or could be used by countries to support monitoring and restrictions on online communications. “These types of proposals would replace market forces with international regulations – ignoring the successes of the past two decades. Some of these proposals seek to protect companies from competition by giving international bodies authority to determine market outcomes. “Proposals like these will harm broadband-related innovation and investment throughout the world, and particularly in less developed countries. “In short, these changes would stifle the dynamism of the Internet and hamstring the unprecedented growth and innovation it has fueled. Balkanizing the Internet will not grow any country’s economy. The opposite is true.” Delegations will convene in Dubai in December to review the ITRs, or International Telecommunications Regulations, which govern how international telecommunications traffic is exchanged around the globe. These ITRs were last negotiated in 1988. Since that time, competitive market forces have stimulated the incredible growth of wired and wireless high speed Internet, allowing one-third of the world’s 7 billion people – and millions of Brazilian citizens - to harness the opportunities of broadband. “That’s why, from the start, the FCC has been engaged with the rest of the U.S. government in the WCIT process, and why the dedicated U.S. team has been travelling nonstop for the last several months across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia to promote competition and protect a free and open Internet,” said Genachowski. TO READ THE CHAIRMAN GENACHOWSKI’S FULL SPEECH, CLICK HERE. -FCC- News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found on the Commission’s web site www.fcc.gov.