The Massachusetts State Legislature is currently considering a series of net neutrality bills that would stifle our innovation economy by pushing a local version of what should be a national regulation. Under the state proposals, net neutrality protections would stop at state borders. They may not even be enforceable. That kind of legislation will do more harm than good to a state with a cutting edge economy.
I think we all agree: the Internet is a critical part of our daily lives and our economy. Network neutrality is a vital component of a vibrant Internet but it’s the World Wide Web, not the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Web. To do net neutrality the right way, the rules must be written on Capitol Hill in Washington, not Beacon Hill in Boston.
We’ve gotten here because last December, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed Title II classification of broadband internet, which treated our 21st century Internet like a 19th century telephone system. The FCC decision sparked a new chapter in the decades-long net neutrality debate. As many feared, Title II endangered network improvements, choked billions of dollars of investments in smarter and faster access to technology that consumers demand.
The FCC’s decision to end that ill-fitting, utility-like regulation was then in the public interest.
Many people – including here in Massachusetts – are now calling for greater codification of even more rules. Proponents of state action on net neutrality try to scare consumers and lawmakers into action. But ask yourself: Is your Internet worse today than it was last year? No. And, since internet service providers’ motive is to keep their customers happy, would they really degrade their customers’ internet? No.
The internet is just too important to leave to state bills – like the ones our Legislature is proposing. The state approach could hurt the very consumers they claim to protect. What if you’re streaming Spotify on your way from Boston to Stamford? Do you really want the internet rules to change once you hit “Welcome to Connecticut”? It’s also Congress, not the states, that has has authority to set rules for a national network like our nation’s broadband network.
Massachusetts has a rich history of consumer advocacy and holding industry accountable and that is a good thing. But, if state leaders want to productively address net neutrality, they should help us push our federal delegation to act for real, comprehensive and national net neutrality. Patchwork net neutrality with state laws is just bad policy making.
We need real net neutrality. And that requires Capitol Hill, not Beacon Hill.
David Mancuso is a former Regional Vice President of External Affairs for AT& T and founder of Mancuso Communications Strategies LLC.