On Wednesday, March 17, The Media Institute hosted the March installment of their Communications Forum series. This month, the keynote was delivered by Ambassador Philip Verveer, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications & Information Policy, U.S. Department of State.

Following Ambassador Verveer’s remarks, Walter McCormick, President and CEO of USTelecom, posed a question on the negative effects that could occur should the federal government reclassify Internet service back to a Title II regulatory regime. McCormick asked, “The other day, the FCC came out with a National Broadband Plan, and the European Union is about to go forward with a digital agenda. If the United States decides to move Internet service from a Title I information services regime back to a Title II regime, will this require the United States government internationally to reverse its position in regard to the treatment of Internet services?”

Ambassador Verveer answered by acknowledging that the point was important and stated, “There is a very significant preoccupation with respect to both what we’re proposing with…broadband and especially with respect to the Net neutrality proceeding…the Net neutrality proceeding is one that could be employed by regimes that don’t agree with our perspectives of essentially avoiding regulation of the Internet…it could be employed as a pretext or as an excuse for undertaking public policy activity that we would disagree with pretty profoundly.”

To see archived footage from NextGenWeb’s live stream of Ambassador Verveer’s remarks, including the exchange between the Amabassador and McCormick, click below.

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