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The Perils of Thinking of Broadband as a Public Utility

Started by TLF · 7 months ago

Richard Bennett and Matt Sherman explain why it’s a bad idea. (And here are a few of my old rants on the issue.)
Bennett:
If we’ve learned anything at all about from the history of Internet-as-utility, it’s that this strained analogy only applies in cases wher ... Continue reading »

4 comments

  • dimitris

    7 months ago

    A 1.5 megabit connection (T1) was an unimaginable luxury when I started in tech in the mid-90’s. It was for well-funded companies only. Today, it is a low-end consumer connection and costs around 80% less. Has your sewage service followed a similar trajectory?


    Based on the fact that my sewage provider isn't considering putting me on a liquid-only diet, or limit how many/often guests I can have over I'd have to say no.
    reply
  • Richard Bennett

    7 months ago

    The sewer system has severe restrictions on the kinds of devices you can attach and the applications they can run. As soon as somebody tries to connect a high-volume, bi-directional toilet, the shit will hit the fan. So to speak.
    reply
  • MikeRT

    7 months ago

    If you lease a T1, you're not in the same class of customer that they're thinking about doing that to. You're now one of their golden hair kids who they love.
    reply
  • Brett Glass

    7 months ago

    I don't want my sewage to follow a trajectory, thank you very much. ;-) But seriously: the model of a utility is EXACTLY THE WRONG ONE for the Internet. When the Internet was first created, the entire idea was to connect distinct networks that were independently owned, operated, and administered. (That's why the domain name system is the way it is: the original top level domains -- com, net, and org -- were established to reflect the type of establishment that owned a network.) The Bell System was following a utility model, and one of the goals of the researchers who created the Internet was to get away from that model and allow separate management and administration.

    Regulate the Internet in such a way that you'd force it to be a utility, and you will destroy its essence. Worse still, you will ensure that it is only viable as a monopoly or at best a duopoly. You'll see mediocre service, the elimination of consumer choice, and (very quickly) regulatory capture.
    reply

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