Declare Internet Essential Service

Internet connections are now an essential service — emergencies, social support, job search, education, news and personal identity. Disconnecting requires a higher threshold than cable TV or phone utilities.

Comments

R — 2010–05–12 13:21:35 EDT wrote

Totally agree!
The Internet has to be viewed as an essential utility and be dealt with accordingly in a public and democratic manner.

infzy — 2010–05–13 01:42:51 EDT wrote

What exactly would it mean for the government to make this declaration? What would have to change, and who would directly profit? Would the government be legally obliged to ensure its availability, no matter the cost?

I definitely think that unfettered Internet access is extremely important for much of modern life. I'm just not sure what it would mean, legally and otherwise, for the government to declare it "essential". Does that mean an obligation to provide it, no matter the cost? Does it imply an obligation to provide it to communities that may not want it (e.g. communities with non–modern lifestyles)? Any information would be appreciated.

I would be concerned if, for example, ISPs were given a free ticket to demand whatever they want from the government in order to subsidize them to establish networks in extreme rural areas. If the government is obliged to make a contract, it may substantially reduce its bargaining position. Consumer choice and accountability is extremely important, else our essential–service Internet could result in an expensive, unusable mess.

The government would have to set standards for net neutrality, in order to define a reasonable lowerbound for what qualifies as "sufficient Internet access". That might be a good thing regardless of the essentiality question.

MarcusC — 2010–05–13 09:48:22 EDT wrote

I think the Government could easily get a handle on the situation by learning from other countries that have already taken this step.

I think there has to be open access to connecting networks and the "last mile" with reasonable costs, perhaps based on actual verifiable costs and a reasonable mandated mark–up. This would prevent the gouging of consumers and competitors that we now see and would still provide an incentive for network expansion since a profit is being made. This is working in other countries with healthy competitive markets and far lower prices, I fail to see why it would not work here.

Telephone is considered essential, internet access should at least be the same.

ChuckHamilton — 2010–07–09 13:18:31 EDT wrote

Not withstanding any formal declaration, the Internet is already an essential service which is tied to business, finance, economies, education and health. This essential connection is not only important nationally, but also globally as service that connects all of us. For the great majority of us, our virtual connection is a lifeline for work, play and many essential services. We are all becoming critical connection points for human collective success. The first web, (Web 1.0) was about connecting everyone and establishing some basic levels of service. Web 2.0 was about getting every connected and participating or what we now describe as the era of participation. Over the next few years we will see a move toward an even more immersive web space, moving inside the internet toward the immersive internet. This evolution underpins an opportunity for a global level playing field, a place where everyone should have access and the opportunity to participate to their fullest extent. While today such access and participation is not evenly distributed, we will need to strive for greater connection if we hope to active global participants. For the future globally integrated citizen our global connectedness will be inseparable from health and prosperity, and a failure to connect in this way will be measured as a failure to perform.