Thursday, December 14, 2017

Who can best keep the Internet open: Government or the free market?

Guest Editorial by Patrick McGuinness

Some “Net Neutrality” advocates claim this debate is about whether we will have net neutrality and an open internet or not. However, both sides of the issue want what net neutrality delivers -- an open internet. The real debate is over FCC internet regulations, and it can be considered a question of trust: Do we trust markets or Government to ensure an open internet?

For proponents of Government regulation, the impending rollback by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) of regulations they passed in 2015 to control ISPs (Internet Service Providers) is a threat to net neutrality. They believe Government intervention is needed to keep ISPs in line – after all – “if given the chance, large ISPs will use monopoly power to bully suppliers and squeeze consumers for their profit and the detriment of others, right?”

Wrong.