In a recent article in Quartz magazine, Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton penned a strong endorsement of local net choice. Here is how she put it:
“Three-quarters of US households have at most one option for purchasing the Internet service families now depend on for shopping, streaming, and doing homework. When alternatives do emerge, however, as they have in places like Kansas City, prices go down and speeds go up……Closing these loopholes and protecting other standards of free and fair competition—like enforcing strong net neutrality rules and preempting state laws that unfairly protect incumbent businesses—will keep more money in consumers’ wallets, enable startups to challenge the status quo, and allow small businesses to thrive.”
Giving all local communities the right to determine their own broadband and economic futures, with all options on the table, is critical to the future of our country’s economic competitiveness and survival. We are hopeful that other presidential candidates will make local Internet choice a priority during this election season. It is not a partisan issue after all – it is an infrastructure issue.