In a move that will stoke a battle over the future of the Internet, the federal government plans to propose regulating broadband lines under decades-old rules designed for traditional phone networks.
The decision, by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, is likely to trigger a vigorous lobbying battle, arraying big phone and cable companies and their allies on Capitol Hill against Silicon Valley giants and consumer advocates.
Breaking a deadlock within his agency, Mr. Genachowski is expected Thursday to outline his plan for regulating broadband lines. He wants to adopt “net neutrality” rules that require Internet providers like Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc. to treat all traffic equally, and not to slow or block access to websites.
Figures, socialist governments have to regulate everything.
Yep — now more regulations, and then a wondering by us all when prices hurtle upward.
But, but, but, don’t you all remember how breaking up Ma Bell saved us all so much money by having competition? Like, the competition to charge the most? The competition to regulate service to one provider? The fruits of this concept are still hanging so low on the tree that even an Obama regulator ought to be able to see them. But, no………………
If, and it’s a big if, you have a monopoly over provision of broadband service and that monopoly has been granted by the government, then I can tolerate some measure of government control over the service provider. This is the old Ma Bell model, and while it gave us nearly universal telephone service, it also gave us high rates and a slow pace of innovation.
Far better would be the opening up of broadband service to users for multiple providers where small innovative providers could provide better service at a lower price. It’s a complicated picture, and all that government should really do is prevent barriers to entry by new, innovative providers willing to risk their private capital to earn an above average rate of return on investment. See – capitalism is relatively easy and can work when government protects the rights of all to complete equally and lets the fittest earn the rate of return the market is willing to pay them.
Well, I guess I’ll just have to stop saving gas by making purchases over the internet. I’ll drive to the store to shop.
Oh, and I guess I’ll stop browsing the internet and start getting paper catalogues again…you know, killing lots of trees…because I don’t want to pay extra taxes on my internet service.
Taxes, taxes, taxes!!!