The FCC is currently in the process of developing a National Broadband strategy. Being that this is under the Obama administration, this strategy is unlikely to be a sensible one. Early word suggests that the administration plans to take the Internet in this country and consolidate it into a single, centralized, government-run entity. ‘Competition’ will be allowed, but only under strict government controls and over government wires. Just like in China.

There’s no coincidence there, either. Obama’s good buddy and source of advice Google is well-acquainted with being a tool of totalitarianism. I’m all for the profit motive in general, but Google lets it trump basic human rights when it does whatever the fascist dictatorship in China tells it to. Google loves it because the reduced competition acts as a subsidy for favored firms such as itself, and now it wants the same to happen in our country through its ‘Net Neutrality’ plan, which the Obama FCC just might start to promote.

Americans for Tax Reform and the Competitive Enterprise Institute held a conference call today to detail their opposition to such efforts.

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The landline provider in my neighborhood in New York City is Verizon. I’m in the middle of a support incident with Verizon that I’ll describe in a bit of detail, for a couple of reasons. First, because it happens on an infrequent but regular basis. Second, because it vividly illustrates how a government-protected industry deals with its customers.

Why does this matter? Because we’re now talking about taking vast chunks of American industry into that happy zone where they have little to fear from market competition, or even from their shareholders and debtholders. Today, Verizon is in that place. Almost immediately, they’ll be joined by the Detroit automakers, and by America’s largest and most powerful banks. Sometime before Obama’s first term ends, America’s healthcare delivery system will also be there.

I was in the middle of a phone call yesterday morning, when the line went dead. Fair enough, this happens all the time. I live in New York City, where our infrastructure was once the most advanced in the world. And today, we still have exactly the same infrastructure. The central office that handles my phone service is now more than 100 years old. A lot has changed: Ernestine the telephone operator no longer works there, and they’ve painted over the windows.

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