Should Facebook be a public utility?

The idea that dominant, front-facing internet platforms should be regulated as common carriers or public utilities has been kicking around for a while. …

What are public utilities and why do governments regulate them?

A consequence of this monopoly is that federal, state, and local governments regulate public utilities to ensure that they provide a reasonable level of service at a fair price. A public utility is entitled to charge reasonable rates for its product or service.

Why are utility companies regulated?

Electric utilities are monopolies, so they have to be carefully regulated in order to protect the interests of their captive customers. The allowed rate of return (return on assets) drives a utility’s profitability. Expenses are simply passed through, including fuel in cases where regulated utilities own power plants.

Is Google considered a utility?

Google’s not a public utility any more than the Yellow Pages telephone book is,” said Li, who specializes in technology platform governance. “Google, as a company, has First Amendment rights to protection for its speech. Algorithmic ranking and sorting of search results can be considered Google’s speech.

Are utility companies public or private?

Utilities companies are private, for-profit entities, but since they provide a public service, they are subject to substantial government oversight and regulation. Typically, investors buy utilities stocks as long-term holdings.

Is Google a public good?

And it’s not just internet traffic: Google dominates internet search, cornering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. search market, and even more globally. We are not even asking for monetary damages — just a simple declaration that, under the law, Google is a public utility, or more generally, a common carrier.

Who are utility companies regulated by?

Ofgem, or the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, is the energy market regulator. That means Ofgem is responsible for keeping in check the energy companies — big and small — that keep our lights and heat on.

What do utility companies do?

The utility sector is a category of company stocks that provide basic services including electricity, natural gas, and water. Utilities earn a profit but are a public service and, as a result, have substantial regulation.

What do you mean by public utilities?

Public utilities are services provided by the government or state, such as the supply of electricity and gas, or the train network. Water supplies and other public utilities were badly affected.

Why social media is not a public utility?

Counterarguments. Opponents of this theory say that social media websites should not be treated as public utilities because these platforms are changing every year, and because they are not essential services for survival as common public utilities are, such as water, natural gas, and electricity.

What is a regulated utility?

A “regulated electricity market” contains utilities that own and operate all electricity. The utility company owns the infrastructure and transmission lines then sells it directly to the customers. In regulated states, utilities must abide by electricity rates set by state public utility commissions.

What is the difference between a public and private utility?

To keep things simple, private utilities are owned by private property owners, and public utilities are owned by water companies, electric companies, telecommunication providers, etc.

Should social media platforms like Facebook and Google be regulated?

The back story: Influential personalities on the right and left are saying platforms like Google and Facebook have become such influential forces in the way people interact, get news, shop and work, that they should be regulated as though they are essential public utilities, like electricity or water.

Should companies like Google be regulated?

On the other side of the political spectrum, both Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have argued that companies, such as Google, need to be regulated. Google, Apple, and Amazon provide platforms that lots of other companies depend on for survival.

Should online platforms be regulated like utilities?

Why it’s a long shot: Utility-style regulation of online platforms isn’t possible without an act of Congress designating the service as a common carrier — and lawmakers don’t appear interested in going down that path.

Are tech companies dictating the news that appears online?

The idea, reported by the Wall Street Journal, is to circulate people from Google to “allied organizations’ articles, photos and video.” In this new digital reality tech companies are even dictating the format of news that appears online, as they are too big to ignore.