In one more mindless “undo what Trump did” move, the Federal Communications Commission aims to reinstate “net neutrality” and give itself greater power over broadband Internet this week.
It’s only taken this long because it took forever for the Biden team to find and confirm another FCC nominee to give Democrats a majority on the commission.
But what’s the need here?
As Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr noted, since the Trumpies nuked net neutrality back in 2017, “broadband speeds in the U.S. have increased, prices are down” and “competition has intensified.”
So why move for “government control of the Internet?”
Because, argued FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel (a Democratic pick): “The pandemic made clear that broadband is an essential service,” which apparently automatically “requires oversight.”
Will big-government-lovers ever stop using the pandemic as an excuse to curb freedoms?
In fact, there was zero reason for it in the first place: President Barack Obama’s FCC even resisted it until the order came down from the White House in 2015 — after much lobbying from streaming services, including Netflix, which figured it was better for their bottom lines.
But the rationale is pure “social justice”: Treating the Internet as a utility, the line goes, protects the poor by stopping Internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or slowing down access or charging more for certain content or services.
It’s pure coincidence, of course, that a year after after leaving the White House the Obamas signed a deal with Netflix at a rumored value of $50 million or more.
So when the Trump FCC overturned the Obama rules in 2017, the left screamed that it would create an Internet dystopia, with ISPs throttling competition and only the wealthy being able to access high-speed Internet and the most high-demand websites, while the poor were squeezed out of the information highway.
Didn’t happen: The number of Americans using the Internet rose 6%, average Internet speeds across the country increased and American broadband providers invested a record $102 billion in infrastructure in 2022 alone.
The average Internet user’s surfing experience improved.
In any case, the Biden FCC’s power play may not survive legal challenge.
The Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia v. EPA in 2021 that federal agencies can’t grab major new regulatory power without explicit authority from Congress.
So why is Joe continuing to push net neutrality?
Maybe he wants a Netflix deal for his family, too.