Let's take the Internet back from the ISPs

Try to imagine the United States today without interstate highways. With no way to get from one state to the next without driving local roads, interstate commerce would be slow, aggravating, and problematic, as it would be unfeasible to ship parts and equipment around the country quickly and easily. It would be a far cry from the United States of today, and I shudder to think of how it would work if we had regional monopolies building and controlling those roads. Perhaps we should start to think about the future, much as Eisenhower did, and determine that a ubiquitous, extremely high-speed Internet is an absolute requirement to continue our economic and scientific growth. Based on recent history, we should determine that an interstate Internet system has to be funded by the taxpayers and built by private contractors. Admit it: Bringing gigabit fiber to every doorstep would be far cheaper than a decade, or even a year of war -- and vastly more rewarding.