There is no case for government intervention. Forced Access would be counterproductive. It would cripple the growth of broadband Internet services for residential and small businesses customers by discouraging investment. Forced Access would remove the most important competitive pressure on all other broadband providers. And technical problems would degrade the quality of Internet access for many users.
Markets are the right choice.
Advocates of Forced Access ask us to choose between a free-market Internet based on willing buyers and sellers, and a public utility model based on regulations and politics. Experience and common sense tell us that markets are the way to go. Keeping the Internet free and growing requires that judges and elected officials not commit the fatal conceit of believing they can substitute their own judgment for the wisdom of millions of Internet users, entrepreneurs, and investors. That means relying on markets, not regulations. Copyright 1999 The Heartland Institute.