A dynamic and competitive broadband market will keep...
A dynamic and competitive broadband market will keep the Internet open “regardless of whether there is government regulation,” said Matthew Berry, chief of staff to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, at a Broadband Cable Association of Pennsylvania event in Harrisburg Thursday,…
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according to prepared remarks (http://bit.ly/1furxxT). “Let’s say, with a tip of the hat to Billy Joel, that you're living in Allentown, you're a Service Electric broadband customer, and the company decides to shut down your access to lawful content. You might switch to Verizon. Or, suppose that you're a Frontier customer in Breezewood, and the company prevents you from running applications of your choice. There’s a good chance that you'll switch to Comcast.” The federal government is “all too slow to recognize competition” and “too quick to impose regulation” while dismissing the harms caused by “too much meddling in the marketplace,” Berry said. He criticized the FCC’s renewed attempt to regulate ISPs with net neutrality rules. A broadband connection is not and should not be merely a “dumb pipe,” Berry said. “We should aspire to connect all Americans with smart networks,” which private enterprise is accomplishing, he said. Determining whether a particular network management principle is reasonable is “not an area conducive to government micromanagement,” Berry said. “We should want network operators to be focused on innovating and providing the best service possible to their customers rather than guessing how the FCC might respond to a particular network management practice. A rule based on amorphous and subjective value judgments will inevitably breed caution and chill progress.” Berry praised the ability of two-sided markets to bring needed funding from both consumers and content providers to pay for network upgrades to come, rather than simply relying on consumers to foot the bill.