Public News Service Interviews Christopher on Who Owns the Internet

Public News Service - November 30, 2017

Whose Internet Is It?

Written by Laurie Stern

With the Federal Communications Commission's decision to repeal net neutrality set for December 15th, Christopher Mitchell sat down to speak with Laurie Stern of the Public News Service on the reality of Internet access in America.

Here are Christopher's contributions:

Christopher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative with the Minneapolis-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance, says most Americans have only one or two Internet service providers to choose from.

"The official United States policy is that we're supposed to have a lot of competition in telecommunications networks,” he points out. “But every time the state or the federal government try to do something to actually encourage competition, the big cable and telephone companies say, 'Oh, that's not fair. You can't do anything to encourage competition. That would be bad for us.'"

The FCC says net neutrality stifles innovation by over regulating Internet service providers, and the vote will encourage ISPs such as Comcast and Verizon to improve and expand broadband. 

The issue breaks down along party lines with Republican lawmakers tending to support deregulation. 

Mitchell says the vote is just a move from public to private regulation, and that companies such as Comcast and CenturyLink will now be making the rules.

"At the state and federal level the voices of the big cable and telephone companies drown out local voices,” he states. “Fortunately at the local level, local voices have much more power and so they can get more done. "

Mitchell says many counties and small cities have formed cooperatives to provide their own Internet service.

He says community broadband relies on an old model of self-sufficiency that has worked for rural America before.

"I absolutely think we're going to see more leadership from the local level and that's – it's very promising if you live in one of those towns,” he states. “Unfortunately there will be winners and losers because some towns won't do anything."

Mitchell says 30 states, including Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, have municipal Internet co-ops. 

He and others who support net neutrality say the fight for fairness on the Internet will play out in local jurisdictions and in the courts. 

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