The FCC has been debating whether such rules are necessary amid fears that consumers could be blocked from going to Web sites that do not have a business relationship with their ISP, whether it's a cable company or a telecommunications company. "It is not entirely clear why a regulatory openness mandate is such an imperative right now," said Kenneth Ferree, head of the FCC's media bureau, which regulates cable operators. "There seem to be powerful market incentives already for broadband providers to make their systems consumer-friendly, that is, to ensure their networks are largely open," Ferree told the Progress & Freedom Foundation conference. He warned that such restrictions could hurt investment in and innovation for the Internet. Almost 20 million homes and businesses had broadband service at the end of 2002, with 57 percent getting it from a cable provider. A group of high-profile companies such as Microsoft and Apple Computer have lobbied the FCC to ensure that consumers can move around the Internet without limits imposed by their ISPs.