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Communications industries are different, and too important.

More important than shelter, food and energy? We draw a line as to what the government should provide/subsidize/control and what the private sector provides in those sectors.

The information they carry is, like journalism, a 4th estate to democracy.

If the 4th estate is a check on government, why would we want the government to decide what constituted it? Please don't conflate a first amendment issue with this conflict between content providers and ISPs.



Yes, similar to shelter, food, and energy in that they are fundamental infrastructure.

I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. You are right: the analogy breaks down on the level of mechanism of preservation.

I attempted to be more general. Specifically: Journalism is a check on public and private coercion, but the mechanism is free speech. Common Carrier regulation is a check on (largely) private coercion. The mechanism is monopoly prevention (originally monopoly rejection, via AT&T breakup).




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