Cable industry’s worst nightmare –
Sanders would regulate broadband as utility and spend $ billion on networks.
Jon Brodkin – Dec 7,**************** (9:) ************************************************************ (UTC UTC)
“The Internet as we know it was developed by taxpayer-funded research, using taxpayer-funded grants in taxpayer-funded labs , “the
Perhaps most notably, this could force Comcast to divest NBCUniversal and force AT&T to divest Time Warner. Of course, a US president can’t simply issue an order to break up these companies. But if Sanders is elected, he could nominate Department of Justice officials who are likely to file antitrust lawsuits against the companies that dominate the broadband industry.
Bring back Title II regulation
Sanders also pledged to regulate broadband providers as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act, reinstate net neutrality rules, and impose other pro-consumer rules. This could be achieved via legislation, appointments of aggressive regulators to the Federal Communications Commission, or a combination of both.Sanders said he would “eliminate data caps and ban throttling” and “instruct the FCC to regulate broadband Internet rates so homes and small businesses are connected affordably. ” This would include a requirement “that all Internet service providers offer a Basic Internet Plan that provides quality broadband speeds at an affordable price.”
The FCC is an independent agency, so it wouldn’t have to do what Sanders says. But if Sanders was president, he could nominate commissioners and appoint a chairperson who is likely to carry out his wishes.
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overturned in court. Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has proposed an $********************************** billion broadband plan, while candidate Joe Biden has proposed $ 20 billion for rural broadband.
Many US residents lack fast internet service today because broadband monopolies “don’t provide service to anyone who can’t afford it , or install it in areas where it won’t make them as much money as their shareholders demand, “the Sanders plan said. Meanwhile, broadband monopolies “exploit their dominant market power to gouge consumers and lobby government at all levels to keep out competition.”
Sanders compared his plan to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “promise to deliver electricity to every home in America in (*************************************, a time when 100 percent of rural households lacked it. ”
Sanders’ $ billion proposal includes a Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Service program “to provide capital funding to connect all remote rural homes and businesses and upgrade outdated technology and infrastructure, prioritizing funding for existing co-ops and small rural utilities. ” Sanders said that $ 7.5 billion should be set aside for tribal areas and that all public housing should provide free broadband to residents.
Sanders said the $
US government plans for broadband often focus on network access without talking much about lowering prices. Sanders wants to do both. His plan said: Large Internet service providers have enjoyed government funding, protection from competition, and light regulation while gouging customers with some of the highest prices for service in the world. Bernie will regulate these providers like a utility. The FCC will review prices and regulate rates where necessary, ensuring areas without competition aren’t able to run up prices.
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Moreover, Sanders proposed eliminating the hidden fees broadband providers use to make the actual cost higher than their advertised rates. ISPs would have to “clearly state the cost of service” and not impose “unexpected rate increases” or “service termination fees.”
Sanders also wants the FCC to define broadband as a minimum of Mbps download speeds and 20 Mbps uploads, instead of the current Mbps down and 3Mbps up. Sanders would also “reinstate and expand privacy protection rules,” reversing theTrump-era decisionto eliminate broadband-privacy rules.
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