The Wire Next Time

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission proposal to allow Internet service providers to charge different rates to different online content companies -- effectively ending the government’s commitment to network neutrality -- set off a flurry of protest. The uproar is appropriate: In bowing before an onslaught of corporate lobbying, the commission has chosen short-term political expediency over the long-term interest of the country. But if this is the end of net neutrality as we know it, it is not the end of the line for fair and equitable Internet access. Indeed, the commission’s decision frees Americans to focus on a real long-term solution: supporting open municipal-level fiber networks. American cities need fast, cheap, ubiquitous, open fiber networks, and every city has the tools at its disposal to get these networks built. But there are powerful and well-funded incumbents who will fight any mayor brave enough to consider the idea. If you’re furious about your cable bill and worried about net neutrality, go tell city hall.

[Crawford is a visiting professor at Harvard Law School]