FCC can define markets with only one ISP as “competitive,” court rules

[Jason]

The FCC can "choose which evidence to believe," court says.

[TwinIon]

The idea that being nearby competitors with comparable services equals competition is laughable. I'm actually sympathetic to the court that they don't want to tell the FCC what evidence they can and can't consider, and the FCC should be the experts in their area, so it makes sense that they should have a pretty wide latitude in what they want to consider. Still, this seems so over the line that it ventures into parody.

 

I'd like to see the actual data behind their "evidence," because I'm dubious to say the least. As someone who has spent a decade finding ISPs for business locations, my experience is that your neighbors' service is rarely representative of yours, especially if you're on the border of an ISP's territory. One location struggled with poor internet service for years, but when another ISP came in and started competing, we magically got much faster and cheaper service than before. It's almost as if a competitive market drives better outcomes.