FCC Boss Julius Genachowski this week gave a speech on cybersecurity during which he held up security practices at Comcast and Centurylinkas ones for other ISPs to emulate. During the speech, Genachowski called on all ISPs to create a botnet threat and protect the public. "Comcast and CenturyLink have already taken the lead in developing and promoting solutions like this," Genachowski said, referring to improving user notification of infected PCs. "If other ISPs employed similar best practices, it could significantly reduce the botnet threat."

ISPs needing to step up in terms of infections is nothing new, nor is some ISPs making an extra effort to find new ways to tackle the threat (see our report on Cox using walled gardens against botnet infections from 2006). There have been no limit of ISP security analysts employed at ISPs that have told us over the years that ISPs see plenty of security problems, some ISP bean counters sometimes don't want to properly provide resources to deal with them.

Genachowski also urged ISPs to adopt Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), something we've noted that Comcast has taken the lead on and already finished. While a little nudge for some of the lagging ISPs might help, the current FCC seems to like taking already established industry efforts toward goals (be they security, offering $10 broadband, or digital literacy) and then dressing them up as FCC policy for political points. It's unlikely Genachowski's informing anyone at an ISP of threats they're not already well aware of.