> I live in a country with no net neutrality laws but reasonably healthy competition between ISPs (New Zealand) and it seems to work out alright.
New Zealand doesn't need net neutrality, because it has something better.
In the US, the ISP is one company that owns the lines and sells its services to customers. They also typically bundle cable tv packages. Many customers are serviced by only one or two ISPs. Setting up a competing ISPs requires laying new cable/fiber.
In New Zealand, the ISPs and the companies which own the lines are different companies (as enforced by regulations). ComCom also regulates the price that the line company can charge the ISP.
This makes setting up a competing ISP easy.
Buy some capacity on international fiber links, set up some routing equipment in a peering exchange and contract Chorus/Enable to hook up your customers.
Incidentally, this is how power companies work in NZ too. There have been quite a few new retail power competitors launched over the last 10 years.
New Zealand doesn't need net neutrality, because it has something better.
In the US, the ISP is one company that owns the lines and sells its services to customers. They also typically bundle cable tv packages. Many customers are serviced by only one or two ISPs. Setting up a competing ISPs requires laying new cable/fiber.
In New Zealand, the ISPs and the companies which own the lines are different companies (as enforced by regulations). ComCom also regulates the price that the line company can charge the ISP.
This makes setting up a competing ISP easy. Buy some capacity on international fiber links, set up some routing equipment in a peering exchange and contract Chorus/Enable to hook up your customers.
Incidentally, this is how power companies work in NZ too. There have been quite a few new retail power competitors launched over the last 10 years.