Senator Kerry's recent echoing of the call for a "National Broadband Strategy" by House Telecom Chairman Markey and FCC Commissioner Copps -- is really a slick coordinated bicameral campaign to reverse current national communications competition policy and replace it with a Government industrial policy.
Calling for a "National Broadband Strategy" implies we don't have one when we do -- and it is the law of the land -- the 1996 Telecom Act -- and it was supported by over 95% of Democrats and Republicans when it passed during the Clinton administration -- and by the way it is working.
- The purpose of the law is our "national communcations policy/strategy": "To promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure lower choices and higher quality services...and encourage the rapid deployment of new technologies."
- The part covering the Internet: ""To preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the Internet..., unfettered by Federal or state regulation."
- The part covering promoting new technologies, Section 706: "The Commission...shall encourage deployment on a reasonable and timely basis of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans..."
What's wrong with that national broadband strategy?
What's wrong with the progress and achievement of that strategy to date?
Lets review the facts, not the spin that those promoting a new industrial policy cannot support with facts.
- Free market forces have delivered competitive broadband faster than any other service in US history, which would certainly make it "reasonable and timely".
- The US has more broadband facilities competition, investment and consumer choice than any country in the world.
- The price of broadband per bit is plummeting as speeds are rapidly increasing.
- American wireless prices are among the lowest in the world (over 70% lower than Europe's) and Americans have more wireless choices.
- America has more WiFi hotspots than any couuntry in the world.
- America has at least five national wireless broadband providers, and has a sixth choice coming in next generation WiMax technology.
- We have satellite broadband for hard to reach areas and the prices for that service are falling fast and speeds are increasing.
- BPL is an encouraging additional long term technology.
- Finally, the US leads the world in most everything Internet.
So what's wrong with this picture?
So what is this call for a new "National Broadband Strategy" all about?
- It is a call from liberals to radically revamp our national bipartisan competition policy (which is the law of the land) and replace it with a "Government-knows-best, bureaucrat-centered, "Mother-may-I", FCC-picks-winners-and-losers, seventies-style-industrial policy.
- Make no mistake. This is a grand philosophical debate that is being started here.
- It's liberal adherents may have learned a thing or two of how to use better words and slogans, and learned to bite their tongues to not say all that they truly seek, but this is a classic free-market/government regulation philosophical debate and battle.
Never forget that cellphone technology was invented in 1960. It took government bureaucrats regulating a government-granted monopoly over TWENTY YEARS to allow wireless phones to come to market! over TWENTY YEARS!
- Government has a long and pathetic history of trying to pick technologies and market winners and losers.
- But it doesn't stop a new generation of bureaucrats from dreaming they can do better...
Bottomline: If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Free markets work!
