The higher education community has long appreciated the potential of the Internet to expand access to information, facilitate communication, and promote human development. From the inception of the Internet, colleges and universities have worked to advance the realization of that potential. Today, advocacy in support of the open, innovative, and user-controlled Internet is more important than ever. The Internet has not grown by accident, nor is its future ensured. In fact, a number of current policy trends and pending proposals could radically change the nature of the Internet. In this article, the author discusses four principles that should guide Internet policy: (1) user control; (2) innovation; (3) trust; and (4) openness/competition.