Governments Privatizing Public Utilities Even As Some Want to Convert Internet Into One

Two articles of interest in today's Wall Street Journal with indirect impact on the debate over the future of Internet policy. First, there's a front-page story ("Facing Budget Gaps, Cities Sell Parking, Airports, Zoo") documenting how many cities are privatizing various services — including some considered "public utilities" — in order to help balance budgets.  The article worries about "fire-sale" prices and the loss of long-term revenue because of the privatizations.  But the author...