+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

The problem with internet in America is a lack of competition - but a radical idea could solve it

Aug 21, 2024, 20:49 IST

When the net-neutrality debate hit its peak in the fall of 2014, Ted Cruz wrote a bad tweet:

Advertisement

The Republican senator was torched for this, for many justified reasons. The net-neutrality laws that would be passed in 2015 - which prevent ISPs from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing certain traffic for financial gain - have not let the Fed determine how much you pay for internet service, and banning internet providers like Comcast and Verizon from slowing down websites for profit has never been the same as mandating citizens to buy private health insurance. Cruz's rationale was wrong.

But with the GOP in control of Washington, and with current Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai intent on erasing those net-neutrality laws from the books, Cruz hasn't softened his stance whatsoever. In a FCC oversight hearing last month, he used the phrase yet again as part of a wider call to repeal the net-neutrality laws.

And you know what? The notion of the net-neutrality laws being like Obamacare isn't that crazy. It wasn't crazy the first time, either. But Cruz won't agree with the reason why.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Insider.
You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article