If it ain’t broke… FCC’s ‘Measuring Broadband America’ report shows a healthy Internet sector

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission published its fourth annual report on measuring fixed broadband, and the results yet again speak to the healthy state of the sector and the benefits of light-touch regulation.

The last thing the country needs right now is for the FCC to regulate Internet Service Providers under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, as if they were public utilities. Significantly, in the report, the FCC researchers found that DSL, an older technology deployed in a more heavily regulated environment, gives consumers less than what they are expecting -- while cable, fiber, and satellite goes above and beyond.

That consumers are trading up to higher speeds is further evidence that they are enthusiastic about having high-quality Internet service -- and trust the providers to give them exactly that. That is hardly a marketplace that’s crying out for a regulatory fix.

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