Industry, consumer advocates, and lawmakers agree — a rare thing indeed — that high-speed Internet is integral to the health of America’s economy. In many ways, that consensus represents a strong endorsement of the light-touch regulatory approach that has underpinned this success to date.

It is incumbent on members of Congress to push to maintain this approach, especially as they prepare to work with a new Federal Communications Commission chair during President Obama’s second term.

Despite a national economy that has been searching for its footing for years, investment in Internet infrastructure has grown, high-speed access continues to increase, and the FCC recently reported that broadband penetration — or accessibility — is growing in the United States.

Today, smartphones and wireless data connections have become ubiquitous. A dramatic expansion of “connected” homes and machine-to-machine communication is around the corner. This acceleration in technology deployment reflects an industry that is constantly changing, driven by incredible innovation in software development, data management, and smart networks.

This extraordinary growth during the past 15 years was made possible by a government philosophy that encouraged private investment, promoted competition, and had a limited role in Internet regulation. These policies, which began under President Bill Clinton’s Federal Communications Commission chairman, William Kennard, and have continued under subsequent administrations, were praised by the FCC’s National Broadband Plan as having led to unprecedented levels of high-speed broadband deployment, innovation and private investment in broadband Internet.