FTC: Thumbs-down to network neutrality

Just in case you were under the mistaken impression that federal regulatory agencies were supposed to advocate for consumers, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is out with a report to bring you back to reality.

The FTC's Internet Access Task Force released a report that came out strongly against network neutrality, and sounds like nothing more than a shill for Big Telecom.

The recommendations of the report, "Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy," boils down to this: Let the telcos and cable companies do whatever they want.

It says that there should be no network neutrality regulation. And in the reality-free zone in which so much of our federal government seems to operate, it says that everything is just fine when it comes to broadband in the U.S.

"In the absence of significant market failure or demonstrated consumer harm, policy makers should be particularly hesitant to enact new regulation in this area" --- that is, broadband.

There of course has been both "market failure" and "demonstrated consumer harm" when it comes to broadband. As I've previously written, we're 24th in the world when it comes to broadband penetration and speed, according to a recent report. And another report said that we are 16th in broadband speeds and connectivity among industrialized nations.

So the FTC has lined up with the do-nothing FCC when it comes to watching us fall even further behind the rest of the world. Both agencies don't recognize that the issue isn't really about broadband -- it's about competing in an increasingly challenging global market. Broadband is as vital to a country's economy as is electricity or good transportation. Without it, it will be that much more difficult for us to compete.