Net Neutrality court decision: No telling how this will turn out

A couple of weeks ago, a U.S. Appeals Court told the FCC that their net neutrality rule was invalid. This has caused a huge debate among broadband industry folks about what comes next. The court ruling hinges on the way the FCC categorizes services like TV, phone, and Internet as either a "telecommunications service" or an "information service." To make things even more complicated, the FCC definition of "common carrier" also factors into the rules.

I have read at least two dozen opinions about what all this means, and I have yet to see even one address what I think is the core problem: the FCC is trying to make rules about Internet use based on two definitions (information service, telecommunications service) developed decades ago when cable TV was based on a technology completely different from voice telephone service.

When we can deliver literally hundreds of services from competing providers over a single fiber strand to a customer, why are we trying to make rules based on outmoded and antiquated service classifications.

I have always been a contrarian with respect to net neutrality; despite protests from the incumbents over the FCC's net neutrality rules, I have always thought the incumbents were the biggest beneficiary of net neutrality, as it makes it more difficult to build a business case for a competitive network in a community. There is going to be some pain associated with migrating away from the current de facto incumbent monopolies that exist in most communities today. Better to get it over with sooner rather than later, and get more businesses and residents connected to a truly competitive fiber network, rather than trying to prop up the incumbents.

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