April 27, 2017
USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter discussed his viewpoints on Title II and the Open Internet and its effects on consumers and the economy in an op-ed posted on news site Morning Consult today.
Spalter notes that all sides continue to strongly support consumers’ right to be in control of their online experience. All sides also agree government should have the authority to enforce these protections. What they don’t agree on is whether net neutrality rules can only be achieved by imposing utility-style regulations written in 1934.
Fortunately, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed modern net neutrality safeguards to replace these regressive rules. Internet service providers are the leading investors in the U.S. economy, and semi-nationalizing their networks would be a surefire way to undercut this essential infrastructure progress. Indeed, 84 percent of all investment in the internet comes from broadband providers—as do 900,000 American jobs.
The internet was open, dynamic and growing before the Title II disruption, and it will remain so after, Spalter writes.