WASHINGTON - September 21 - Today, Free Press released “In His Own Words: Julius Genachowski’s Vision of Real Net Neutrality,” a brief report using the FCC chairman’s statements to illustrate the elements of a genuine open Internet policy.

Read the report here: http://www.freepress.net/files/In_His_Own_Words.pdf

Exactly a year ago in a major speech at the Brookings Institution, Genachowski declared that without the fundamental protection of Net Neutrality, “We could see the Internet’s doors shut to entrepreneurs, the spirit of innovation stifled, a full and free flow of information compromised.”

In the year since, however, the FCC has made little progress on enacting clear rules of the road to protect Net Neutrality, instead continuing to solicit input on questions that have already been asked and answered. As Genachowski warned last September: “If we wait too long to preserve a free and open Internet, it will be too late.”

Today, Free Press also placed an ad in Politico, calling on the FCC to stop delaying and start moving to restore the FCC’s authority to protect Internet users and enact strong Net Neutrality safeguards.

View the ad here: http://www.freepress.net/files/FPAdPoliticoSept21.pdf

Josh Silver, president of Free Press, made the following statement:

“A year ago, Julius Genachowski warned us about what would happen if we didn’t act to preserve the free and open Internet. A year later, we’re still waiting. It’s clear from his own statements that the FCC chairman knows what meaningful rules look should like, but so far he hasn’t taken the actions needed to achieve his worthy vision.

“The Net Neutrality debate has been ongoing for many years, and adequate information exists in the various dockets to give the FCC guidance on writing fair rules of the road. The FCC can always find ways to ask new questions — but the basic answers haven’t changed.

“It’s time for the FCC chairman to stop dithering. That means, first, restoring the FCC’s authority to protect Internet users. Then the FCC must enact Net Neutrality rules that safeguard the open Internet for all users, no matter how they get online.

"The eventual outcome of the FCC's open Internet efforts — and Chairman Julius Genachowski's legacy as FCC chairman — must be judged on whether they result in real, effective open Internet policy. The threats to the open Internet are real, and we cannot wait much longer for him to act.”