It looks like President Obama’s calls for transparency could apply to broadband as well.

In a speech at CTIA (News - Alert) earlier this month our new FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski talked about the need for transparency.

“My specific objectives involve unleashing spectrum for broadband; removing obstacles to 4G deployment, like delays in tower siting; developing fair rules of the road to preserve the openness of the Internet, while recognizing the differences between wired and wireless technologies; and empowering consumers by supporting a vibrant, transparent and competitive mobile marketplace,” he said.

What exactly Genachowski means when he calls for a “transparent” marketplace remains to be seen, but let me draw your attention to some discussion along these lines at a recent Boadband Consumer Context workshop staged by the FCC (News - Alert) as part of the National Broadband Plan effort.

Panelist Sascha Meinrath, director of the Open Technology Initiative at the New America Foundation, at the event this fall talked about the U.S. service providers’ practices relative to marketing and consumer education – or, as he sees it, lack of it. According to Meinrath, service providers in the U.S. are intentionally keeping consumers in the dark about their broadband options.

“Imagine if every gas station in the country didn’t have a sign about what it cost and what the octane on it was and you were told ‘Look, just start pumping gas and we’ll tell you what you’re going to pay for that gas and we’ll tell you what your octane is post-op,’” said Meinrath. “That’s kind of the environment we’re in with broadband connectivity.”

That’s not allowed in Europe, he added, where rules require an open book policy around the cost, availability, contention and competition for broadband.

“You can’t make an informed decision on what your broadband service options are if you don’t have access to that information,” he added.

“These are mandates that would just be excruciatingly easy to implement,” he said. “Maybe unpopular, but easy to implement.”