The Sky Didn’t Fall

The internet is back in the news with last week’s Federal Court’s decision not to delay the implementation of the FCC's Net Neutrality rules, which became effective last Friday.  The court was considering the effects of the rule, predicted to be dire by the big cable and telephone companies. Those companies were bridling at the FCC’s decision to regulate internet providers under some of the same regulations currently imposed on telephone companies.

Simply put, Net Neutrality means that internet service providers, or I.S.P.s, can’t give one website an advantage over another, or allow companies to pay extra to have their data placed on a “faster lane” ahead of competitors.

For many internet providers the imposition of regulation on their business is portrayed as nothing short of a disaster.  They maintain that any regulation will stifle competition and innovation.  The proverbial “Digital Clouds” will come crashing to earth.

The arguments seem to dismiss the fact that regulation and innovation seem to coexist in the mobile phone business.  The cell services, options and prices have not been hampered by regulation.  Competition continues among several companies offering different plans, subscription fees and options vying for your business.  Few would contend that the services offered are not getting better all the time.  “Can you hear me now?” is becoming an anachronism.

ISPs may not want you to know that during the previous non-regulated period, the internet speeds that most of us have available at home or at the office are laughable compared to those available in other parts of the world.  Apart from some U.S. communities like Chattanooga, Tennessee; Kansas City; and Ephrata, a tiny burg in Washington State; our internet speeds lag way behind the rest of the world. 

Access to the internet is no longer a luxury.  In many cases open access is more important than having a land line telephone.  Shopping, banking, communicating or just making a living would not be possible in today’s world without the internet.  Because it is so important, it seems to me that some regulation and oversight is a good idea.  Such regulation exists for companies providing electricity and water.  Imagine our interstate highway system without free and open access for all.

The internet service providers are mostly for-profit businesses and I don’t worry that they will cease all innovation and stop improving their networks because of the Net Neutrality rules.  They want to keep us as paying customers and will find ways do so.