Google Loves Neutrality, Except When They're Busy Killing It → Bite the Bullet

Just bite the bullet and reclassify them and force line sharing amongst all wired broadband medias.

No matter what they do, if they don't create a competitive market, without the silly expectation that every one that wants to provide service needs to dig up the streets and yards to run multiple lines to a place wanting service, then it will fail.

Why just wired? What about wireless? Does this also go for munis, coops, Google, and everyone else passing bits through some sort of physical medium?

That is a good question, but what you are proposing is not really network neutrality, but network element unbundling.

As a start we need to regulate both wired and wireless ISPs as common carriers. This would not affect ownership of the first-mile but impose transparency requirements.

Then my preference would be to make first-mile access, both wired and wireless a wholesale business open to all qualified players. This is obviously much more difficult and controversial, especially wireless since frequencies are allocated to individual companies. To a very limited extent wireless carriers already work together to rent tower space so the practice is not completely alien.

I know it is a gross over simplification but broadband should be thought about much like the Interstate highway and Airport system. They are a common good - that allow individual companies to utilize the infrastructure to deliver services. I realize thinking in terms of common social good has fallen out of favor in this age of every man for himself deregulation but it provides many benefits

/tom