Mayors or the FCC: Who understands the broadband needs of metropolitan residents?

Who would Americans trust to best understand the broadband-related interests of the residents of a city: its mayor, or the head of the Federal Communications Commission? About twice as many Americans have a positive view of their local government than they do the federal government. Americans would be right in trusting mayors more than federal officials. Mayors, after all, are answerable to local citizens far more than a far-off federal official, and they have obtained the consent of the governed in a way the federal official has not. Further, different cities should be allowed to answer the question differently as that is the best, market-based way to determine the trade-offs of different approaches. In addressing policies affecting the internet, we have to find a way to honor the wisdom of distributed decision making and while protecting interstate commerce. The FCC failed. Let’s hope other government officials get the balance right.