Not sure on the free part but yes, it’s a public utility no matter how tech hems and haws- good luck navigating civil life without a smart phone, for instance.

Not sure on the free part but yes, it’s a public utility no matter how tech hems and haws- good luck navigating civil life without a smart phone, for instance. And on top of that originally developed by the govt, then handed over private sector, and then 20 yrs of effort forced everyone to run their lives through it. But definitely not like a utility, at all. The audacity to treat it like a market good vs as a public utility astounds me.