Less Government = More and Faster Internet
You want more of…anything?
Make sure government doesn’t get anywhere near it.
As the late, inordinately great economist Milton Friedman noted:
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert - in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand.”
The Internet has been a thing - for about thirty years.
Here in the US - the Internet has been an anomaly in the otherwise meteoric move to infinite government. It’s been an oasis - in an ever-expanding government desert.
During almost none of our Internet’s time has there been in place heavy-handed Net Neutrality regulations - for which the Left has endlessly clamored.
Biden's Call to Restore Net Neutrality: What You Should Know
What you should know is: It is exceedingly stupid.
During almost none of our Internet’s time has the Internet been a Title II service: A heavy-handed broader regulatory framework - for which the Left has endlessly clamored.
Title II Is the Best Way to Protect the Internet. Period
What you should know is: That, too, is exceedingly stupid. The Internet seems to be pretty well protected - as is.
For almost the entirety of our Internet’s time - our Internet has instead been a Title I service: A very-light-handed regulatory framework.
Meanwhile: With what do Internet providers have to work in the US? LOTS of challenges. (So let’s not have the government add even more, eh?)
The US is HUGE. With many, diverse topographical obstructions to Internet connection: Huge expanses of nothing, huge ranges of mountains, huge lakes and rivers, etc.
And the US is made up of 1/3 of a billion people. That is a LOT of humans to connect.
And they are thoroughly spread out: Throughout the huge expanses of nothing, atop and amongst the huge ranges of of mountains, around the huge lakes and rivers, etc.
With all of these challenges - how’s the US Internet been doing?
Keeping in mind that it has been operating - with less government. To which the Left has been desperately trying to drastically add - in the name of “helping?”
Here’s an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) report from last December - which is a good compilation and analysis of the last full year of data at which to look.
In which we find: Less government = more and faster Internet. Shocker, I know:
“In absolute terms, the United States is among the world’s leaders in deploying fast broadband, and it does so at competitive prices.”
Again: Given our MASSIVE population and geographical challenges - this is AMAZING:
“The United States is geographically and demographically diverse, yet broadband deployment is strong and improving. At last count, 98 percent of Americans had access to a fixed connection at broadband speeds, and the majority had a choice of providers.”
“Fixed broadband” - means digging LOTS of trenches for LOTS of cables and wires.
Given our MASSIVE population and geographical challenges - 98% is AMAZING.
And how are we doing with wireless service? AMAZING:
“U.S. mobile coverage is ubiquitous. 4G covers almost 100 percent of the population….”
On the existing Fourth Generation (4G) networks? You have been wirelessly, seamlessly live-streaming videos - the far-and-away most data-intensive thing to currently do on the Internet.
Translation: EVERYONE in the US has access to as much Internet - and speed thereto - as they need. And for most people - MUCH more.
We hear much about the next generation of wireless - Fifth Generation (5G). How are we doing there?:
“5G is competitive even with South Korea at 93 percent. Improved fixed wireless and low-earth orbit satellites are emerging to fill the remaining gaps.”
Translation: EVERYONE in the US has access to as much Internet - and speed thereto - as they need. And for most people - MUCH more.
How did the US do - in just 2022?:
“In 2022, internet speeds rose over 20% year over year to a national average of 119.03 Mbps.”
Up 20% - in one year. That’s pretty frigging good. Especially from the already-high 2021 baseline.
And again:
We have done all of this amazingness?
With less government.
Without Net Neutrality - and without Title II.
But if it ain’t broke - Big Government and the Left will shatter it.
In the fraudulent name of “fixing” it.