David Harsanyi: Save the Net.
Because there exists no area of human activity that couldn’t benefit from more paternalistic attention … Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Federal Communications Commission to your Web browser.
Congressional Democrats cannot find the votes to pass “network neutrality.” No problem. Three unelected officials will impose rules on hundreds of millions of satisfied online consumers. A federal appeals court stops the FCC from employing authority over the Internet. Again, not a problem. Three out of five FCC commissioners can carve out some temporary wiggle room, because, as any crusading technocrat knows, the most important thing is getting in the door.
It’s not that we don’t need the FCC’s meddling (or worse); it’s that we don’t need the FCC at all. Rather than expanding the powers—which always seem to grow—of this outdated bureaucracy, Congress should be finding ways to eliminate it.
More at Reason.