Internet Service as a Utility?

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Who came up with that idea? Out in this whole Net Neutrality dealy, I just think that's a terrible idea. It unifies the whole system in a bad way. I mean, yeah technically everyone could have internet access but what if I want/need faster internet speeds? If it's treated like a utility I can't really do that. You don't pay for faster access to water or electricity, you just pay for what you use. I have no stance on this Net Neutrality thing becuase I fear government regulation as well as business monopolies.
What needs to happen is an ISP:
1)Should offer tiers of service at reasonable prices for what you're getting
2)Should offer it in the most areas possible
3)Should make it reliable
4)Should not enforce data caps, throttling, extra charges becuase of content source, or any other data limitations.

The only way it'd be worth making it a utility was if I was offered the best of what's possible (which as of now is fiber). But that's very expensive, no one is going to want to pay taxes for that, this country cannot even afford it in the first place. Even then, it's in the hands of a single entity, which is bad.

They are trying to make it a utility precisely for those 4 points you make.

Reasonable prices: If it is a utility the companies cannot charge absurd amounts of money for it.
Most areas as possible: Becoming a utility makes this a mandate.
Reliable: Becoming a utility makes it a mandate.
Not enforce data caps, etc: If it becomes a utility they cannot data cap it nor can they stack on you absurd charges for going over X data.

Right now the ISP's can charge more, not bother with much reliability nor bother expanding infrastructure to 'less profitable' areas and they can data cap/overcharge all they want because they can. Its the same thing with cellphone service...all those absurd charges and carrier-locked phone schemes exist because cell service is considered phone utility.

Since the internet infrastructure is similar to telephone and cable you would have the same competition you see now anyway...since its literally the same phone/cable companies that provide it.

The single most important thing that comes out of it becoming a utility is that is denies the ISP's from controlling traffic for their own profits. Even now you see the ISP's actively using their position as the 'data roads' to bully competitors off their other markets.

Look at how Netflix traffic became super-slow when the ISP's first started to route its traffic to low-speed 'lanes'... because Netflix was a direct competition to the cable companies (which were also ISPs) and were hurting financially for it. Look at how Youtube's connections are constantly interrupted and slowed down...its all the ISP routing traffic.

Making it a utility would completely forbid ISPs from doing this.

Then everyone will have terrible service.

Would you rate your water, sewage, landline phone and electricity services as 'terrible'?

In contrast, the services of cellphone and cable/satellite tv ARE in general, 'terrible' and incredibly overpriced with the consumer being forced to pay for things they do not want or need simply because the companies that offer it only provide the service in 'packages'. Remember the old CD's and LP's how you had to pay for 10+ songs you already owned just to get the one or two new songs on it? Its the same thing. Making the internet into a utility and forcing true net neutrality upon them is the equivalent of Itunes-type stores selling songs over the internet..one at a time. It broke the record companies massive profit monopoly scheme and likewise, internet as a utility will break the way ISPs/Media companies monopolize network traffic.

That idea that making it a utility will cause internet service to be terrible comes directly from the ISP companies as an effort to mobilize the ignorant populace to side with them to block the attempt to turn internet into a utility. If it becomes a utility they will not be able to make the profits they make now nor will they be able to have the power to have control over network traffic that they have been using to benefit their own services over those of competitors (aka Netflix/Youtube traffic drastically degraded to make it less appealing so that you do not cancel your cable tv service..which also owns your ISP).