I remember the Internet shutting down over the idea that ISPs, or internet-service providers being able to charge differential rates was a travesty to justice, and that the internet would be irreparably broken.
Despite net neutrality being stopped in 2017, rather than a hellscape where nothing went, a barren wasteland on the internet, things pretty much went on as originally hypothesized by the free-market types, that we’d see a bit of pricing experimentation on the margin, but mostly things would remain the same.
The people who freaked out about net neutrality never were admonished, and never had an intellectual reckoning. Instead, they moved onto another stupid pet project, and didn’t ever consider that their idiotic worldview is rotten to the core.
In 2024, the FCC wanted to re-regulate the internet, but was struck down by federal courts. Great! But, the question remains, if everything is working without regulation, why would we add on regulation? Is it that our wise and benevolent overlords are selflessly serving the public good? This looks more like politics as usual where bureaucrats want to micromanage people’s lives?
What should this teach people? First, that the world isn’t going to suddenly collapse without regulation. Business works, and over time, people find ways of working together.
Next, your assumption should be that pro-regulation arguments are wrong, given the lack of care associated with double-checking. There may be reasons to overturn that assumption, but a callous disregard for the truth is probably not a good starting point.
Isadore Johnson's Website 