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America, our internet stinks. And it’s time to try a different approach to fix it.
Millions of Americans do not have a modern Internet service. It is a symptom of our dysfunction on the Internet that we don’t even know how many. The unreliable number of internet providers is 14.5 million households. Or maybe there are 157 million people. Even for people with reliable access, Americans generally pay more for worse Internet services than our colleagues in most other wealthy countries.
The White House’s new infrastructure plan includes a proposal to spend $ 100 billion to extend fast Internet access to all homes. Its central premise is powerful: to reach the Internet that we all deserve, the federal government must be more involved – but not much.
The Biden government’s plan lacks details and it will be difficult to pass a major bill. But let me explain why the White House plan may be the jolt we need.
First, how it works now:
Today, we have the worst aspects of free market capitalism and heavy-handed government. Taxpayer money is poured into Internet services, but it is usually spent in a shortsighted manner. A system that promises light regulation, in fact, has many rules – often encouraged by companies that protect their interests – but regulations are often misguided or misapplied.
The government now hands over a lot of money and authority to internet companies. The result is that Americans are spending many billions of dollars each year to help build internet networks in places like rural cities and to subsidize the cost of service for schools, libraries and homes.
But the funds often help maintain the AOL-era internet channels. And the money is spent on short-term solutions. Schools, for example, get help paying Internet service providers for Wi-Fi hotspots when it would be better to have fast Internet pipelines that they control.
“This does not mean that the investments have not brought communities online. They do, ”said Kathryn de Wit, who manages the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Internet access project. But, she told me, “the time has come for the federal government to take a more active role.”
What’s on the White House internet plan:
The government this week set high-level goals: High-quality Internet channels are expected to reach every American home, and soon. Taxpayer money should not help finance outdated Internet technology. And we should pay less for the internet service.
These principles seem simple, but they are deceptively revolutionary. The plan is essentially a statement that what we are doing now is not working and that the government should not sit down and let the system continue.
As de Wit told me, the government’s role should be to get everyone involved in the internet system to focus on one mission: to build fast 21st century internet pipelines to reach everyone and ensure that the public, not businesses of internet, the first and last word in our internet system.
When the federal government must get out of the way:
The Biden administration has established principles, but proposes to leave room for maneuver for communities, states and companies to create Internet technologies and policies tailored to their needs.
My colleague Cecilia Kang wrote this week about community activists in Maryland who set up an antenna and router system to provide Internet service to low-income families. The White House wants to support more community-based Internet providers like that, as well as government-affiliated networks like Chattanooga, Tenn.
The White House’s support for alternative Internet providers is a message that large Internet companies like Comcast and AT&T may be part of the solution, but they are not the only answer. It is not surprising that large Internet companies are not embracing the Biden plan warmly.
A trade group representing Comcast and others said that Internet plumbing in America was in good shape and that the government should not micromanage Internet networks or prioritize government-owned networks. Find out more why internet providers are not satisfied.
The challenges and opportunities ahead:
I don’t want to minimize the difficulties in repairing America’s internet system. It will be difficult to build internet networks that reach all Americans, especially in sparsely populated areas. It is unclear how the White House plans to make the service accessible to everyone.
But let me emphasize what is exciting about the White House plan. It identifies the right problems, declares a worthy mission and requires fewer roadblocks to unite the best of government with the best of capitalism.
If the White House plan works, our internet system could be less expensive and more effective for all of us.
Before we go …
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What happens when complexity is destroyed online: Facebook and Instagram have been a breeding ground for scary and often misleading information about Covid-19 vaccines. This Bloomberg News article delves into why, including how apps reward people for arousing people’s anxieties and the difficulty of making medical truths engaging online.
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The companies that exploit our data do quite from lobby: Markup reported that 25 relatively unknown companies that make money from collecting our personal information spent $ 29 million in federal lobbying. One, Oracle, spent $ 9.6 million – more than Google, which is much larger.
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TJ Maxx, but from Amazon? Before the pandemic, Amazon discussed the possibility of opening discount stores to clean up its deposits of unsold goods, such as household goods and electronics, Bloomberg News reported. I don’t know why Amazon would need stores to do that instead of … uhhhh, just selling things at a discount on its huge website.
Hugs to that
This is a tale of a stray dog trying to steal a stuffed unicorn toy from a dollar store. Sisu is a very good dog. The humans who rescued him are also good.
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