Keeping the Net neutral

[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski layered compromise upon compromise to get the commission's approval for a Net neutrality proposal that at least some major Internet and telecommunications companies can live with. Those compromises disappointed advocates of a strong rule, and they weren't enough to placate Republicans who oppose the very idea of regulating broadband providers. Nevertheless, the result is both workable and necessary. It's worth remembering that the new rules apply only to how data are transported, not what's in that data. The point is to keep the content and services that are the essence of the Net flowing freely. It makes sense for the FCC to proceed carefully, laying out a minimal number of ground rules and watching how the market reacts. That's what Genachowski's many compromises appear to have accomplished.