re: Senator Cruz doubles down on Net Neutrality argument

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hey pretty much already have monopolies, granted by local and state gov't. 

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A big part of the problem, as I see it, is caused by the fact that internet access providers are by and large also content providers. While neither should have monopolies, we as consumers suffer more when content providers are given regional monopolies and even more so when they also monopolize the means of accessing content. Its in a content providers best interest to limit you to using and consuming their content.

An internet service provider should have no say in the legal activities a consumer utilizes their services for outside of activities that legitimately harm the network for others (excessive bandwidth usage).

Net neutrality should focus solely on ending the ability of content providers abusing their monopolized positions as internet providers to control what content subscribers access (including actions were by certain content is given preferential access to bandwidth or speed).

If the FCC limited its regulation to internet service providers to prevent that, I would be 100% behind it. Access to internet should be treated no differently than access to any other utility (water, gas, or electricity); you pay for it based on usage, you are required to use it for legal purposes, and may be limited in situations where you harm others access to the service.

Unfortunately, neither side (FCC, Administration, or Congress) seems to care about actually protecting consumers. Looking at data costs around the world (wired and wireless) compared to what we pay here, US consumers could probably use some regulatory relief on internet service rates.