'Techies must teach governments about the net'

Those in the know about technology must spend more time reaching out to governments and helping them understand the internet's role in society, according to Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Speaking at a conference in Washington, Schmidt said: "The average person in government is not of the age of people who are using all this stuff. There is a generational gap, and it's very, very real."

Of particular importance on the policy front are net neutrality, the idea that network operators should not generally be allowed to prioritise content that travels over their pipes - the "revenge of the Bell companies", as Schmidt put it - and digital copyright law. Online service providers such as Google which routinely grapple with complaints about copyrighted content on their properties are adequately protected now under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), but any future changes in that area "could significantly change the way the web works", he said.

Schmidt said he also doesn't expect arguments over the proper balance between individual privacy rights and government intrusion to die down anytime soon. "There's not a single and simple answer," he said.

Asked whether the planned $1.65bn acquisition of online video-sharing site YouTube presented any copyright concerns, Schmidt said he had nothing more to say about the transaction - which he noted has not yet closed - saying only that the company operates under the DMCA and Google "went into this with our eyes open".

Anne Broache writes for CNET News.com