ISP Monopolies Are A Threat to Progress in America

ISP’s, or internet service providers, lie at the core of America’s technology and economy. As brick and mortar stores progressively become less popular, and people become less physically connected ISPs continue to grow. From this growth has sprouted a problem though. Some ISPs have established complete monopolies over regions of the country. It is these monopolies that require attention as they pose a threat to the progress of America as a whole.

As of 2020 47 million individuals or about 14% of the current U.S. population have either Comcast or Charter as their only available internet provider. It is the regions in which these people live that see the least improvement in infrastructure. With no competition, ISPs have no reason to be competitive and therefore no reason to invest in improvements. Due to the immense rate of technological progression; in the coming decades, areas that don’t see improvements in their internet infrastructure and internet speeds will be left in a metaphorical stone age. Some believe that monopolies can be beneficial in a few aspects. Primarily Monopolies are able to provide services with high upfront costs that deter smaller companies. Internet and power services both fall under this concept as what are called natural monopolies. High-speed broadband internet requires running physical wires or optical cables over long distances. This task requires immense financial investment making broadband infrastructure in more rural regions of America far less profitable than urban environments.

 Due to the immense cost of new broadband infrastructure, more companies cannot effectively be persuaded into entering regions where ISP monopolies exist. Instead, the government must regulate the companies that have already entered these markets. More specifically the government should financially reward companies for improving existing infrastructure in areas where improvements don’t yield higher profits.