Regulatory bodies have immense power. Their decisions have the ability to reshape our nation’s economy fundamentally and quickly. That is why Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission , was right to sound the alarm on a Biden administration plan that, if enacted by vote today, would grant the federal government unparalleled powers, jeopardizing the very foundations of a free and open internet.

Title 2's “net neutrality,” implemented by the FCC in 2015, promised to protect consumers from unfair internet service rate adjustments but ended up hurting those consumers. Unfortunately, it turned the tech landscape into a monopolized regulated utility. Since Title 2’s reversal in 2017, consumers have enjoyed a substantial reduction in the cost of internet services. Now, the Biden administration’s plan would not only effectively renew Title 2 but would also bolster the supremacy of Big Tech companies, which already benefit tremendously from their intimate alliance with the federal government.

The prices of regulated utilities such as water, electricity , and gas have only gone up over time. Internet services will suffer the same fate.

The administration’s regulations would undoubtedly stifle entrepreneurship, allowing Big Tech to preserve its dominance. At the same time, the government laughably wants to pretend that it alone can provide high-quality, reliable, and affordable internet services to everyone.

The plan would also make it even easier for the federal government to pick and choose what should and should not be on the internet. The House Judiciary Committee's Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government warned that the government has learned to circumvent the Constitution to censor protected speech by working with Big Tech. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, for example, partnered with self-proclaimed “disinformation” czars at places such as the Stanford Internet Observatory during the last presidential cycle to suppress speech. Important legal battles, including Missouri v. Biden, are being fought to push back on this front. More must be waged.

With the proposed expansion of the FCC’s powers, alternatives to the Big Government-Big Tech alliance are even more essential. Look to China to understand the peril of a government with complete control over the internet. Personal location data are constantly monitored . Information deemed a threat to the regime is blocked .

In an era where honest ideological differences can lead to targeted regulatory measures that are punishing, if not devastating, it is crucial for businesses and people to have a reliable and resilient digital foundation that is immune to arbitrary cancellations and interference. Only an internet that can withstand such external political and social pressures truly allows people to innovate and operate without fear of being silenced.

The FCC, a bureaucracy subject to few checks and balances, must not be allowed to follow through on the Biden administration’s plan. These regulations throw caution to the wind by going well beyond the disastrous policy of so-called net neutrality. As citizens and, thus, stakeholders in the digital era, we must rally behind preserving the tenets responsible for the internet's accomplishments and America’s success — innovation, competition, and the free exchange of ideas.

Aron Wagner is CEO of American Cloud , a veteran-owned, cancel-proof cloud company. Follow him @_aronwagner .