fundamental change in many marketplace models, and led to dependency by all sectors on a robust and non-discriminatory network. In a recent book, Steven Johnson refers to the “fourth quadrant: the space of collaborative, nonproprietary innovation, exemplified in recent years by the Internet and the Web, [which]…turns out to have generated more world-changing ideas than the competitive sphere of the marketplace.”1 Today, research libraries depend on the Internet in several fundamental ways. First, research libraries are providers of content, services, and applications on the Internet. Second, research libraries rely on an open Internet to collaborate and obtain services and content from other sources and vendors. Finally, libraries rely upon the Internet to support and promote free speech and democratic values. A non-discriminatory network is central to the ability of research libraries to meet user information needs in support of research, teaching, and learning. The phrase “network neutrality” is described simply: every network operator that provides Internet access to the public must allow every user to access and use content, applications, and services of her choice on the Internet without interference or discrimination.2 This “neutrality,” or non-discrimination principle, has a history in telecommunications law that long predates the Internet and was a critical element in the development of a nationwide long- distance voice telephony network almost 100 years ago. As described by Kristen Riccard in her article in this issue of RLI on the importance of network neutrality to research libraries and academic institutions, recent legal challenges and technological advances, as well as market forces and actions by network operators, have called into question the fundamental openness of the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), members of Congress, network providers, consumers, public interest groups, libraries, higher education, and others have focused on how to best achieve network neutrality. A recent court case, Comcast v. FCC, held that the FCC lacked the authority to enforce net neutrality principles against network operators who provide broadband access. Following this decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, there has been a greater sense of urgency to enact, either through regulation or legislation, network neutrality principles. Riccard reviews the history of network neutrality, its criticality to research libraries, and the increasingly contentious debates in Washington over how best to ensure a free and open Internet. She concludes that the availability of low-cost, high-speed, RLI 273 2 Three Key Public Policies for Research Libraries ( C O N T I N U E D ) DECEMBER 2010 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A BIMONTHLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC