Broadband policy history reflects unusual bipartisanship

[Commentary] All eyes are on the Federal Communications Commission, which has a pending rule-making that some argue should lead to the FCC reclassifying broadband as a regulated common carrier service rather than as a deregulated information service. What's often not told is the story of how this policy foundation was developed.

For nearly 50 years, a consistent and durable policy framework for new communications technologies has been established and implemented. Equally important, it has been supported by a bipartisan consensus spanning several eras of Democrats and Republicans alike. As our nation continues to write the history of the Internet, we should consider carefully what has worked so well for so long. A restrained regulatory approach, as history demonstrates, may be the best option moving forward.

[Brotman teaches at Harvard Law School and is a nonresident senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.]