John Oliver Makes People Dumb

[Commentary] Does the Internet make people stupid? This column has been on the optimistic side: Surely humans can still find a way to focus on and understand complex topics. But that faith is being sorely tested by the abysmal Washington debate over "net neutrality."

September 15 is the deadline for public comments on proposed Internet regulations to the Federal Communications Commission. More than one million comments have been posted, mostly sent by "clicktivists" and drafted by special-interest groups in Washington. As a sign of the confusion over the topic, many commenters say they want more Internet competition but then demand regulation that would stifle competition. Everyone favors an open Internet where no one needs permission to start a website or launch an app, and all content is distributed without censorship. But lobbying groups with Orwellian names like Free Press and Public Knowledge want to turn the Internet into a regulated utility, with bureaucrats setting prices and terms under rules written for railroads in the 19th century and the telephone monopoly in the 1930s.