Eliminating net neutrality would hurt rural America

[Commentary] A forthcoming decision by the Federal Communications Commission to eliminate network neutrality will instantly undermine a decade's worth of public investment in rural broadband — at the exact moment rural America is ready to realize the economic potential of the digital age.

If the FCC ends net neutrality, it will further harm competition in rural areas. Even worse, incumbent ISPs could create a situation in which, if rural businesses want access to larger markets at a reasonable price, they must switch from their local, independent ISP. In effect, incumbents could eliminate the incentive for independent ISPs to operate at all. Competition, which is a hallmark of our economy, would be crushed.

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have called for more broadband infrastructure investment, more entrepreneurship and a free market. But the FCC’s prospective repeal would have the opposite effects. It would stymie rural America just as it is poised to realize the economic promise of a connected world.

[Matt Dunne is the founder of Center for Rural Innovation. He is also a former director of AmeriCorps VISTA and former head of Community Affairs for Google]