The FCC announced earlier this week a challenge to developers…

FCC announced a challenge to researchers and software developers to engage in research and create apps that help consumers foster, measure, and protect Internet openness. The Open Internet Challenge is part of the FCC’s efforts to empower end users to help preserve Internet openness. Details of the challenge are posted at openinternet.gov/challenge.

“This challenge is about using the open Internet to protect the open Internet,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “Our goal is to foster user-developed applications that shine light on any practice that might be inconsistent with the free and open Internet. Empowering consumers with information about their own connections will promote a vibrant, innovative, world-leading broadband ecosystem.”

I love this approach for government encouraging public-private partnership. It’s a nice example of the challenges listed on the Challenge.gov site. The range of projects opportunities here are staggering. Here’s a quick list of items I thought might interest readers:

• Veterans Health Wireless Innovation Challenge
• myHealthyPeople Application Developer Challenge
• Augmented Reality Photo Contest

Some challenges offer cash rewards; some don’t. That is another aspect that caught my attention especially since I learned this morning while listening to TED speaker Simon Sinek speak on how great leaders inspire action – that money was not an inspiration.