Grading the Presidential Candidates' Positions on Broadband: The Democrats Receive Mostly Poor Marks

Broadband policy has emerged as a way for Democrats running for President to appeal to primary voters. They emphasize their commitment to "Net Neutrality," often in its most extreme form (i.e., public utility regulation). They also promise expansive (and expensive) government-funded construction of broadband infrastructure. Neither, however, constitutes effective policy. The unprecedented success and growth of the marketplace for high-speed Internet access services are the direct result not of government intervention, but rather a deregulatory approach to network management and policies designed to maximize private investment and innovation. I grade the candidates, and those who turn their back on these free-market principles receive poor marks. In general, they all do.

[Andrew Long is an Adjunct Senior Fellow of the Free State Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan free market-oriented think tank]