The economic case that net neutrality was always fundamentally bad for the internet

Source: 
Author: 
Coverage Type: 

“I think Tim Wu coming up with the name net neutrality was really brilliant because it sounds really good,” said the economist Michael Katz. “But it is a really bad idea at a fundamental level.” Katz, formerly chief economist at the Federal Communications Commission and now a Berkeley economics professor, thinks the internet should be regulated like most other parts of the economy. If there are abuses by internet providers, they should be dealt with under antitrust law. The main reason Katz is against net neutrality, is that he sees likely benefits from paid prioritization, the ability of internet providers to charge companies for faster speeds. Paid prioritization, Katz says, is normal in most other parts of the economy. Also, according to Katz, low income families who are happy with basic, slower internet would be winners from the end of net neutrality.


The economic case that net neutrality was always fundamentally bad for the internet