Internet Regulation

Advocates of so-called “net neutrality” have been ringing alarm bells for years that without drastic government intervention to “save the Internet” the phone and cable companies will disrupt Internet service.

The proposed solution to this nonexistent problem sounds simple--force phone and cable companies to treat every bit of information the same way--until you realize that modern networks are incredibly complex, with millions of lines of code in every router.  Making sure services like VoIP, video conferencing, and telemedicine (not to mention the next great thing that hasn't been invented yet) get priority may be necessary to make the Internet work, but “net neutrality” would make it illegal to prioritize traffic.

Networks cost billions of dollars to build and maintain, and if there is uncertainty whether there will be a good return on that investment, private investment will dry up.  And then government will step in, spending billions of our tax dollars on a government-owned and controlled Internet.