Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Friday August 17 2018, @07:03AM   Printer-friendly
from the socialize-the-costs-and-privatize-the-profits dept.

Broadband providers have spent years lobbying against utility-style regulations that protect consumers from high prices and bad service.

But now, broadband lobby groups are arguing that Internet service is similar to utilities such as electricity, gas distribution, roads, and water and sewer networks. In the providers' view, the essential nature of broadband doesn't require more regulation to protect consumers. Instead, they argue that broadband's utility-like status is reason for the government to give ISPs more money.

[...] "Like electricity, broadband is essential to every American," USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter and NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield wrote Monday in an op-ed for The Topeka Capital-Journal. "Yet US broadband infrastructure has been financed largely by the private sector without assurance that such costs can be recovered through increased consumer rates."

[...] While ISPs want the benefits of being treated like utilities—such as pole attachment rights and access to public rights-of-way—they oppose traditional utility-style obligations such as regulated prices and deployment to all Americans.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/08/isps-want-to-be-utilities-but-only-to-get-more-money-from-the-government/


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Revek on Friday August 17 2018, @12:09PM

    by Revek (5022) on Friday August 17 2018, @12:09PM (#722768)

    Small providers get nothing from the government. Indeed we have to pay in to usac. They have subsidy programs for consumers but none for the actual ISP. Give my company 5 million and we would be able to provide for most of our region. Give us 10 million and we would provide service to new towns. Towns that currently have nothing. Most of those programs are made to target larger companies.

    --
    This page was generated by a Swarm of Roaming Elephants
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Interesting=2, Total=2
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   4