Dakota Beacon

Much of the news these days is fraught with terrorist shootings and bombings at home and abroad.

While the news media distracts the public with sensational stories, the feckless Obama administration, through his Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is preparing to carpet bomb the American people.

With little fanfare, the White House declared last week its intent to force on America without congressional or public involvement the so-called “network neutrality” policy. In Orwellian doublespeak, “network neutrality” is anything but neutral.

So, what is the issue with “net neutrality” and why is it so onerous to the American people? The issue is what rules should govern how the Internet Service Providers (ISP) manage their web sites and what should be the legal authority for those rules. If the FCC prevails, for an additional $8-$16 billion the American people get expanded government control (interference) over the Internet.

The White House says that the FCC already has the authority to regulate and tax the Internet. In tortured logic, the absurd rationale cited by the administration is Title II of the FCC Act (1934) – rules established by Franklin D. Roosevelt for controlling public utilities. This tool is seriously outdated even with the 1996 revision and hardly applies to the Internet. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD); and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) have introduced a working proposal that would prohibit blocking and slowing of data and prohibit prioritization of content. However, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, an Obama appointee, believes it is important to move forward immediately and he is not interested in updating the law.

A year ago the FCC announced its intent to move forward on a multibillion dollar program to connect schools and libraries with Wi-Fi. This is a political sucker punch delivered in “soft speak.” Everyone knows that any action can be justified if it purports to benefit “schools” and “the children.” As such, the action is unquestionably assumed to be a good thing. (Wi-Fi is a registered trademark term that defines Wi-Fi as any “wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers” (IEEE) standards.”)

However, moving forward with the “network neutrality” proceedings without accounting for the massive opposition by personal liberty advocates would be a huge mistake in the eyes of the greater public. Taking more taxpayer money (even if the tax were legislated) would be an even greater mistake.

Here is the critical issue and a political one at that. Once again the sucker punch is delivered in “soft speak,” that is, in the name of “fairness.” The FCC gains control over how the ISPs manage web traffic on their networks. Supposedly the FCC is the “honest broker” ensuring the ISPs treat all Internet content “fairly.” Determining what is “fair’ is at the heart of the controversy. Allowing politicians and bureaucrats to determine “fairness” creates a very scary bogeyman.

There is a different and more effective principle currently at play in the private sector. For well over a century the private sector produced fairness through the practice of “creative destruction.” This principle describes the process of industrial mutation that revolutionizes an economic structure from within by incessantly destroying the old structure and incessantly creating a new one through competition. “Creative destruction” overwhelms archaic and ineffectual business practices and raises fair standards throughout.

President Obama demonstrates once again his implicit faith in creating and managing an intrusive public sector that supports itself on higher taxes and heavy handed control running roughshod over the American people.

If Obama’s FCC succeeds, expect years of litigation and one more roadblock to innovation and job creation.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).