Regarding the misleadingly named Proceeding 17-108, “Restoring Internet Freedom”: Passage of this proposal will have a deleterious effect on the Internet.

Internet traffic, like USPS mail service and telephone service, should not discriminate as to who produces the content. The impact to the service provider network can readily be measured by the amount of traffic, independent of the content. If this proposal goes into effect, it will completely destroy the competitive nature of content providers and allow carriers to favor their own services.

In the majority of the country, and even in major metropolitan areas, choices of service providers are severely limited. The infrastructure needed to provide Internet connectivity, like power, water, sewage, and other municipal utilities precludes actual competition and allows one or two providers to have a monopoly over the availability of Internet service. Allowing them to control the content as well eliminates Internet freedom for customers, who should be able to choose the content they want delivered competitively.

If this proposal goes into effect, the only beneficiaries will be the large monopolistic carriers, Content providers and the people who pay for Internet access will lose, both financially, and in the variety of choice of content available to them.

Please reject this proposal in favor of keeping a free and open Internet.