Power Play: How Obama Is Shaping Policy -- and His Legacy -- by Pushing for a Faster Internet, Utility Rules for ISPs

Author: 
Coverage Type: 

[Commentary] The signal from the Obama Administration and an army of regulators appears to be that it almost doesn’t matter how Internet service providers gained the power they have -- that the power to connect people to the Internet is now so great, and the Web so central to daily life and commerce, that it is in the public interest for government to step in.

In the call for new rules, the Obama Administration has made the speed of delivery an issue to be highlighted. Its message: ISPs aren’t delivering broadband that’s fast enough to meet all of those needs, and they aren’t facing enough competition for service to lower prices and boost those speeds. Moreover, they need common-carrier rules to keep them from blocking and discriminating and prioritizing that Internet traffic. President Barack Obama's broadband initiatives include: calling to end laws that harm broadband service competition, expanding the national movement of local leaders for better broadband, announcing a new initiative to support community broadband projects, unveiling new grant and loan opportunities for rural providers, and removing regulatory barriers and improving investment incentives.


Power Play: How Obama Is Shaping Policy -- and His Legacy -- by Pushing for a Faster Internet, Utility Rules for ISPs