Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said Thursday (May 13) that he would prefer legislation establishing targeted network openness principles to the FCC's proposal of applying Title II regulations to the transmission component of broadband.
That came in a statement for a hearing Thursday on the National Broadband Plan.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski called the Title II proposal a "third way" between full Title II and leaving broadband under Title I information service, status.
Boucher said that was a light, and limited approach, but that "another path exists." But he recommended a fourth way. He said that if broadband providers want to try something else, "our door is open." He said he would be happy to talk with stakeholders both industry and net neutrality backers, about "the creation of a targeted set of principles to assure network openness" that Congress could enact into legislation. "That is the path I hope we can follow," he said.
For their part, network operators, cable and telco, have said they would rather have Congress step in to clarify what the FCC's regulatory authority over broadband is.
