Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Free Market. Free Internet?

At the risk of sounding politically charged, I think it's fair to ask: to what degree should the FCC regulate broadband? We're in a free market society, right? (actually, not exactly, but the principals are employed) So, why not let the market create demand for broadband and the enterprising businesses create solutions to supply it?

Just so you know, I didn't wake up this morning with a political axe to grind. Google and Verizon opened this can of worms for us early this week. In a joint article, the two internet moguls urged the FCC to reconsider their regulation of the Internet. While they don't seem to be opposed to government incentives for creating new broadband networks, the two companies (and many others like them) are hesitant to greet new regulations and government involvement with open arms.

While the FCC's broadband plan is generally viewed as a good idea, some telecom companies are beginning to wonder about the details. The FCC plans to reclassify ISP's, making their services easier to regulate. And, to justify these fears, the FCC came under scrutiny recently for overstepping it's authority interjecting terms into a recent merger of two t-com companies.

So, how much is too much? We already know that the U.S. lags painfully behind many other nations in the speed and ubiquity of it's broadband network. But why not let the profit-driven providers like Verizon and AT&T make the decision to bring broadband up to par? Or, a capitalist may ask: is there demand for broadband in the underserved areas?

Labels: ATT, Broadband Plan, FCC, Google, Verizon