Utility
| Autor | Luã Fergus and Laila Lorenzon |
| Páginas | 317-318 |
317
Utility
97 Utility
Luã Fergus and Laila Lorenzon
According to McGregor Jr. et al. (1982), the term ‘utility’ refers to
any service provided to people, either directly (by public sector
institutions) or indirectly (by public or private companies). The term is
associated with a social consensus, usually expressed in the legislation,
that certain services must be available to everyone, regardless
of income, physical ability, and other individual characteristics.
Even when public utilities are neither provided nor funded by the
public sector – for social-political reasons – they are, in general,
subject to regulation because of the relevance of the service for
the public wellbeing or interest. When done in the public interest
and motivations, public policies can also provide public services
(Anderfuhren-Biget et al., 2014).
A public utility can sometimes have the characteristics of a public
good (being non-rival and non-excludable). Still, most are services
that can (according to current social norms) be sub-supplied by
the market. In most cases, public utilities are services that do not
involve the manufacture of goods. They can be provided by local
or national monopolies, especially natural monopolies.
Utilities can be associated with fundamental human rights. In most
countries, the term ‘public utilities’ often includes electricity, waste
management, public transportation, health care, among many others.
Regarding the Internet-related debates, most of them focus on whether
broadband is a public utility, something that emerged from discussions
on the regulation of net neutrality. Those who argue that broadband
is a public utility understand that it is an essential service for the lives
of citizens and, therefore, deserves to be subject to stricter regulation.
Under this classification, net neutrality rules, for example, could be
enforced more effectively (Mosendz, 2014). On the other hand, some
find it problematic to classify broadband as a public utility since it is
a service with a competitive market, and stronger regulations could
damage innovation and create a barrier to entry (Downes, 2016).
There is also a debate about the possibility of seeing platforms as
public utilities, considering their infrastructural implications on the
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