Next week the Supreme Court will rule on a proposal that would force Broadband providers to share their lines with competitors, similar to what the phone companies had to do. If the broadband providers are forced to share, many communities with a single Cable provider would have competition and change how they charge and the feature packages they provide. Competition is normally good for the consumer.
From the news.com story.. The case pits the Federal Communications Commission against Brand X, a Santa Monica, Calif., Internet service provider. Brand X is hoping for a ruling that will force cable companies to lease their lines at a discounted rate, so the ISP can sell broadband service to its customers. If cable companies are not required to share in this way, Brand X argues, consumers will pay higher prices and have fewer choices. The FCC, on the other hand, will try to make the case that rules hammered out in the phone industry have led to higher prices and slower broadband growth. Keeping cable companies exempt from line-sharing rules will spur investment, and benefit consumers more in the long run. “I don’t think the FCC feels that high regulation in these industries is beneficial to broadband progress overall,” said Patrick Mahoney, an analyst at market researcher The Yankee Group.