Is Broadband Essential?

There is an easy way to simplify the upcoming battle between the Federal Communications Commission and big internet service providers (ISPs) over Title II regulation and net neutrality. The public expects the government to regulate industries that are essential. That’s the reason we regulate electric companies and drinking water quality. It’s the reason we regulate meat and drug safety. Governments also eventually regulate companies or industries that gain monopoly power since monopolies inevitably engage in practices that harm the public or unfairly compete in the marketplace to drive out competition. Monopolies that deliver essential services should get the most regulatory scrutiny. Now that the FCC has formally started the process of placing some regulations on ISPs, we’re going to hear a lot of reasons from big ISPs why they don’t need to be regulated. Big ISPs will tell us how the prices they charge us are fair and are even getting less expensive over time. They will attack the regulators and say that attempts to regulate them are only for political reasons. They will deflect any conversation about regulation using red herrings to make the discussion about something else. Big ISPs will do everything possible to avoid having an open discussion about why big ISPs should be regulated. If explained in the simplest terms, almost everybody would agree that big ISPs should be regulated since they deliver essential services and have monopoly power.