Letter from Technology Investors to FCC Chairman Genachowski Supporting Open Internet Rules

October 21, 2009

October 21, 2009

The Honorable Julius Genachowski, Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554

Dear Chairman Genachowski:

We write to express our support for the Commission’s ongoing efforts to adopt rules to safeguard the open Internet. As business investors in technology companies, we have first-hand experience with the importance of a guaranteeing an open market for new applications and services on the Internet. Clear rules to protect and promote innovation at the edges of the Internet will reinforce the core principles that led to its extraordinary social and economic benefits. Open markets for Internet content will drive investment, entrepreneurship and innovation. For these reasons, Net Neutrality policy is pro-investment, pro-competition, and pro-consumer.

Permitting network operators to close network platforms or control the applications market by favoring certain kinds of content would endanger innovation and investment in an investment sector which represents many billions of dollars in economic activity. The Commission is absolutely correct to propose clear rules that require competition. The promise of permanently securing an open Internet will deliver consumers and innovators a perfect free market that drives investment, job creation, and consumer welfare. These principles should apply across all Internet access networks, wired or wireless.

Investment and innovation at the edge of the network will create not just jobs but also new tools and opportunities for communication, education, health care, business, and every other human endeavor.

We look forward to working with you in developing clear rules to protect the open Internet, and in building together a framework to secure its future and promote its continued growth.

Sincerely,

Immad Akhund, Co Founder, Heyzap
Brian Ascher, Venrock
Aneel Bhusri, Partner, Greylock Partners (and Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Workday)
Matt Blumberg, Chairman & CEO, Return Path, Inc.
Brad Burnham, Union Square Ventures
Stewart Butterfield, Co-Founder, Flickr
Ron Conway, Founder, SV Angel LLC
John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Timothy Draper, Founder and Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Caterina Fake, Co-Founder, Flickr & Hunch
Brad Feld, Co-Founder, Foundry Group
Peter Fenton, Benchmark Partners
Eyal Goldwerger, CEO, TargetSpot
Jude Gomila, Co founder, Heyzap
Mark Gorenberg, Managing Director, Hummer Winblad
Jordan Greenhall, Founder of Divx
Bill Gurley, Benchmark Partners
Jed Katz, Managing Director, Javelin Venture Partners
Dany Levy, Founder, DailyCandy
Mario Morino, Morino Ventures, LLC
Jason Mendelson, Managing Director, Mobius Venture Capital
Michael Moritz, Sequoia Capital
Kim Polese, CEO of Spike Source, Inc.
Avner Ronen, CEO of Boxee
Pete Sheinbaum, Former CEO of Daily Candy
Ram Shriram, Founder, Sherpalo
David Sze, Partner, Greylock Partners
Albert Wenger, Union Square Ventures
Steve Westly, Managing Director, The Westly Group
Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures