ASPEN - Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt on Tuesday urged that the Internet remain an open platform, saying it's good for the world as well as for Google.

"We need to keep it free and open - if it goes the other way we've got a serious problem," Schmidt told more than 175 attendees at the Aspen Summit, an annual communications and technology conference sponsored by the Progress & Freedom Foundation. The foundation is a Washington, D.C., think tank that espouses free-market principles.

Schmidt, who flew his own twin-engine jet to the conference, talked for about 20 minutes then fielded questions.

He gestured often, made frequent quips and leaned informally against the side of the podium as he talked.

He barely bristled when a couple of participants challenged Google's advocacy to ensure an open Internet through "Net Neutrality" legislation.

Schmidt said he wanted to talk about principles, not debate the particulars. He said he is concerned about situations where one or two entities might control not only the Internet "pipe" into a home but also the content.

The debate has been ignited because telcos, which control key broadband pipes into homes, want to be able to charge Internet content providers extra for faster delivery.

Google has the No. 1 Internet search engine in the world, is a leader in targeted advertising and has a variety of other wildly successful Web-based products, including maps and blogging tools.

But after years of explosive performance, the company's revenue growth rate is beginning to slow, and some analysts are concerned about its continued aggressive spending.

Schmidt said technology and the Internet will evolve in directions no one can predict, and he gave several current examples. He told the story about recently asking university students in Ann Arbor, Mich., if they had home phones. Only about 9 percent answered yes, he said. The students instead only had mobile phones.

"God, I've gotten old," Schmidt, who is 52, said.

He noted YouTube, which airs amateur videos on the Internet, "for better or worse has changed American politics," even sponsoring a recent debate.

Separately, Google said Tuesday that it will insert YouTube videos into its news pages in efforts to attract customers from other popular Internet news sites.

Schmidt said 120,000 people worldwide create new blogs every day.

"People have a lot to say." He paused, then quipped: "They may not have a lot of readers."

Although some fear Google is getting too powerful in terms of collecting information about people's Internet activities, Schmidt said open competition applies to Google as well as other companies. If some find better alternatives to Google, he said, "it keeps us honest."

Schmidt said the Internet is too powerful to stop, even if some governments around the world try to do it. He said smart governments will allow the Internet but will try to adapt it to their culture.

"I accept culture is more important than technology," he said.

He also said he believes the Internet will help exert public pressure on bad governments, citing recent footage of atrocities in Sudan.

"It is a check and balance on the role of government," Schmidt said.