Obama expected to push net neutrality

And that is what Sprint Nextel Chief Executive Dan Hesse said recently "should scare" the telecom industry the most.

Republican lawmakers and technology regulators have fought the idea of an open Internet -- popularly known as net neutrality -- calling it a "solution in search of a problem."

But it is widely expected that Obama will make net neutrality and access to broadband Internet connections in rural and poor areas a key part of his agenda to close economic divides and help spur job creation.

The task of putting net neutrality -- the notion put forth by academics that network operators should be banned from selectively slowing, blocking or altering Internet content and technologies -- into practice would probably fall to the Federal Communications Commission, business leaders and analysts said.

The FCC has been criticized by consumer groups for trailing technology changes in the marketplace by grappling with reforms on land-line programs while falling short on consumer protections and rules for wireless operators.

Under the Obama administration, however, many high-tech leaders and analysts say the agency first formed to hand out broadcast licenses will be more important than ever.

"There is going to be a sea change. Technology has been primarily ignored by the Bush administration but Obama from the beginning made it a central part of his push for change," said Maura Corbett, a partner at Qorvis, a tech public relations firm. "He understands that technology has a multiplier effect on the economy and that is something we've never needed more right now."

The telecom industry has become more consolidated, with giants AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp. dominating Internet, land-line phone and wireless services. The nation has dropped to 15th place in ranking for broadband access, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Obama's technology and innovation plan, put forth in the campaign, addressed providing broadband access to underserved areas. FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin has tried to do that by modifying a $7-billion federal program for phone lines so that it could be applied to broadband service.