In a recent webcast from the Brookings Institution, Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski opened up on Net Neutrality, proposing new rules that would protect an open Internet on all wired and wireless networks.

The FCC has disciplined home broadband providers for traffic censorship in the past, but has never laid down a set of solid rules until Genachowski’s speech. Specifically, Genachowski spoke on measures that would prohibit discrimination of content or applications by Internet service providers and would ensure network management practices are transparent. His speech also touched on regulating how wireless companies carry Internet traffic to cell phones – an industry first.

Genachowski’s remarks come at a time when both the FCC is becoming more proactive in seeking input for a national broadband plan, and other Net Neutrality issues being discussed at both the private industry and government level. For example, the federal government is currently investigating Apple’s process for approving iPhone applications and the video game industry is going on the offensive against pushback from an AT&T suggestion that real-time gaming is an “aspirational service” and not a core broadband application.

At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we support Genachowski’s thoughts on Net Neutrality as it ties in to our ideas on the subject of open network s. (For a more information, read Chief Technology Officer Mark T. Ansboury’s column, “The case for open broadband infrastructure.”) It’s in everyone’s interest to pay close attention to this issue. Net Neutrality can serve as a way for our nation to move our networks further faster.