Nation's Largest ISPs Crafting Fake National Broadband Policy

[Commentary] Last week AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and a handful of other companies sent a letter to Congress asking it to embrace a "national broadband policy." In it, the traditionally regulation-petrified ISPs suddenly embrace two broadband mapping laws. But these companies have fought accurate broadband penetration mapping tooth and nail in court, sued cities and towns for wiring themselves with broadband, and shown no interest in deploying broadband into rural America. What gives? "in order to pre-empt any real national broadband policy from taking shape, the nation's largest broadband companies are collectively crafting their own anti-consumer 'national broadband policy' and pushing it through Congress as a cure-all while consumers and the media nap." Why? "Were a real, substantive national broadband plan crafted, it would include input from consumer advocates, respected Internet visionaries and involve objective ... science. It would involve high standards, high-quality mapping and significant subsidized deployment, but it would also hold these companies accountable for how subsidies are spent. If done right ... , it would be everything the [current Universal Service Fund] isn't. That's a nightmare for any investor-driven incumbent operator, who like their taxpayer handouts with no accountability." Whether they succeed will depend on whether the media (oh look, an iPhone!), consumers and lawmakers let them.