Ara Shirinian: FCC’s proposal to redefine broadband will protect consumer interests

The way major Internet service providers like Comcast, AT&T;, Verizon and Time Warner Cable talk about regulations, one might think any form of governance would lead to a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions.

These companies are preemptively trying to turn public sentiment against the Federal Communications Commission, which is going to be voting on Feb. 26 to reclassify broadband, any high-speed Internet connection, as a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. This means that the FCC can apply regulations to ISPs that it feels are necessary to protect consumer interests, such as guaranteed access to all legal content available on the web.

The majority of the negative responses to the new proposals have been completely unfounded, with some anti-Title II advocates warning that that the regulations could add as much as $15 billion worth of taxes. However, the FCC’s recent announcement clearly states that taxes on broadband will not be changed.

The reality is that anti-Title II advocates use these fear tactics to avoid talking about the actual reason they don’t want new regulation: increased competition.

Google, for instance, has faced a great deal of trouble when trying to gain access to poles and infrastructure while attempting to deploy broadband to new markets. According to Google, it is significantly more expensive to build new poles and dig new trenches, and can also be a danger to public safety. While Google has yet to be shut out of any new markets, it has been forced to sign agreements with AT&T;, which grants Google access to it’s poles on a city-by-city basis.

This is not what a free market should look like.

Google has invested a lot of money into broadband deployment, and has the potential to bring new competition that is good for all consumers. Google’s gigabit, 1000 Mbps, Fiber Internet – which is extremely fast – has made it into a handful of markets and is steadily growing. However, despite their enormous market capitalization, they are an underdog running against a few very powerful ISPs.

In an open letter written by Google to the FCC last December, it says it hopes that if the FCC is to enforce Title II, it will grant access to the infrastructure it needs to invest more and grow its service. This is exactly what the FCC has proposed to do.

This directly contradicts the statements made by incumbent ISPs, which say reclassifying broadband under Title II will stifle innovation and growth. They have even gone as far as to threaten delaying planned infrastructure rollouts to prove their point. This is an immoral way to scare people and to hide a simple truth: outlawing anti-competitive practices is the best way to support innovation.

The stakes in this game are high, and there is little room for failure. Having access to a fast, reliable, and open Internet is vital, and the new regulations must be passed to protect consumer interests.