8. He opposes “net neutrality.”
Such misinformation has been spread since the introduction of so-called “net neutrality” that it is difficult to find a place to start. The internet has remained mostly free of government regulation ever since its inception. “Net neutrality” was passed by the un-elected FCC to combat supposed abuses by internet service providers, while evidence of such occurrences has been scant.
All that “net neutrality” actually does is give power to the government to regulate what was one of the last free areas of our life. Instead, what should be permitted is for the free market to “regulate” whether ISPs are pleasing their customers. As is, local governments prevent other companies from competing, but if we were to eliminate that local tyranny, there would be more leeway for capitalism to do its magic.
This is yet another issue which has been created by government and then blamed on free markets. The largest companies have colluded with local officials to prevent competition. If this were not happening, Comcast and others would be beholden to its customers. If they did not provide adequate service or their prices were too high, Americans could simply switch.
The system which we have instead received is one which will likely result in big corporations receiving favors from the FCC while smaller “start-up” companies are regulated out of the industry. Even worse, government now has input on what kinds of content are seen and heard on the internet. Any number of steps could theoretically be taken by the government in the name of “net neutrality.”
