Pai’s retreat would be the fifth pivot by the commission since phone and cable TV companies introduced always-on, high-speed Internet connections in the late 1990s. As encouraging as that may sound, the initial witness list for the hearing betrays a dismaying ignorance about why net neutrality is an issue. The point of having net neutrality rules isn’t to protect multibillion-dollar Internet companies. Better broadband connections in rural America, poverty-stricken inner cities and other underserved areas is a most worthy goal. Leading broadband providers insist that they support an open, neutral Internet.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 14, 2017 10:52 UTC