Keep the Internet free and open

[Commentary] Should the Internet be considered a public utility? How you answer that question will define what role you think federal regulators should play in ensuring that all content, from Netflix programs to Rush Limbaugh podcasts, receives equal treatment by Internet service providers.

My feeling is that the Internet is indeed a public utility, like an electricity grid or phone system, and needs to be regulated as such. But the court made the right call in this case, and the Federal Communications Commission has no one to blame but itself. The court correctly decided that the FCC has only limited sway over a Title I entity. The solution, obviously, is for the FCC to reclassify Internet service providers as Title II entities, which would allow the agency to lower the boom on any network operator that failed to maintain net neutrality. If we were talking about a power company or a water supplier, most of us would have no issue with the government making sure society's needs don't take a back seat to corporate profits. The Internet today is much more than an information service. It's a rapidly growing public resource that, according to a 2012 study by the Boston Consulting Group, contributes at least $680 billion to the US economy. As with any other vital utility, clear rules and oversight are needed. It's the FCC's job to provide them.