The news that the FCC is going to sanction Comcast for the incident with BitTorrent comes as a surprise not only because it is unclear as to whether or not they have the authority to do so, but because the dispute between the two companies was resolved quickly and to the satisfaction of both companies months ago.

This action is a dangerous first step toward regulating the Internet, which has thrived and become what it is today because government had kept its hands off of it. It is a terrible disappointment that the FCC has decided to ignore the vast, unprecedented achievement of free-markets and free minds that the unregulated Internet represents, instead retreating to the failed, 1930s-era policies of regulated utilities.

The reality is that we cannot regulate the Internet into innovating, expanding, or attracting new investment. It has never worked in any area of the economy and it will not work here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Politics .