Regulating the Internet as a utility would cost households billions

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If the Internet were regulated as a public utility, as President Obama has proposed, average government fees on wireless access would increase by $89 annually per household. All combined, these fees will cost Americans approximately $18.5 billion a year.

On Nov. 10, Obama released a video asking the Federal Communications Commission to protect net neutrality and reclassify Internet service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. According to Robert Litan and Hal Singer, “What this means is that the Internet would be treated and regulated as a public utility, like your local electricity or gas distribution company, which is a monopoly.”

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