The Federal Communications Commission's new "net neutrality" rules, passed on a partisan 3-2 vote yesterday, represent a huge win for a slick lobbying campaign run by liberal activist groups and foundations. The losers are likely to be consumers who will see innovation and investment chilled by regulations that treat the Internet like a public utility.
There's little evidence the public is demanding these rules, which purport to stop the non-problem of phone and cable companies blocking access to websites and interfering with Internet traffic. Over 300 House and Senate members have signed a letter opposing FCC Internet regulation, and there will undoubtedly be even less support in the next Congress.
If protecting us with regulations for our own good is such a great thing, why disguise it as a fairness issue?
Sigh. The government is here and wants to help us. This just reeks of a solution in seek of a problem. And by golly, they'll create a problem. On the bright side, once the government gets fully engaged in protecting us, one day we will all have unfettered, equal access to 56K dial-up Internet service and no company will be able to mess with it!
