Most of the time when I talk about the need to treat internet access like a utility, I get amused smiles.

That's the thing we have to change -- the idea that it's unthinkable (amusing, even) that we could take this increasingly singular but private relationship of people to broadband internet access and make it a public relationship. 

But end-users really don't care whether their provider is a cable company or a telephone company -- they think they're getting the internet.  They're probably not even aware that a private company is providing internet access to them.  And there are even a few people out there in the U.S., despite our best efforts, who don't understand that these private companies have every incentive to prioritize and manipulate their way into showing us "channels" instead of the internet.

This re-framing isn't easy.  We haven't nationalized an industry in a while.  It's not clear that our government would even be particularly good at making fast internet access into a true public priority and resource.

But as all other categories of former media fall away, as telephony, the press, the movie industry, the postal service, and broadcast all become part of an enormous digital pond, it makes less and less sense to treat access to this crucial informational resource like candy-bar sales -- particularly when the market for access isn't itself competitive. 

As I say, all I get is smiles when I say this.  It happened again today, that amused smile.  I hope by a couple of years from now the idea will be getting a different, and more respectful, reception.