I spent the morning watching today’s FCC meeting where they passed rules about network neutrality and community broadband. I think these are huge wins for consumers, but was especially excited by a point made by Tom Wheeler before the vote on network neutrality. He pointed out that with the 4 million comments that the FCC received on the topic it was the most open rulemaking process they had ever engaged in, and that receiving this input gave their ruling extra legitimacy. As a fan of open government, I strongly agree. Many government discussions and decisions are made quietly, and the quieter these decisions are made the less legitimate the rules can feel. The network neutrality rules, whether you agree with them or not, are the product of a vigorous public discussion about a technical issue, and an example of democracy at its best.