Time to Give Up the Net-Neutrality Quest

[Commentary] When the D.C. circuit court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's quixotic "net neutrality" rules on Jan. 14, the court left the agency with a way forward despite two straight court losses. The court ruled that one way the agency could regulate the Internet would be to simply reclassify it as a "common carrier," no different from 19th-century telephone networks. The best option is to just drop this ill-conceived crusade.

As the US phases out landline telephone service for more vibrant, 21st-century alternatives, the commission shouldn't slap obsolete regulations built for the old system onto the new one. That's exactly what net neutrality -- which essentially means that Internet service providers cannot customize services based on consumer needs and then price accordingly -- seeks to do. But no matter. The net-neutrality debate rages on, even though we know which policy works best: the one we have now. Unfettered Internet has unleashed innovation and growth for the past 20 years. The FCC should put the future of communications ahead of agency pride.

[Bennett is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute]