common carrier

While there is some merit to the motives behind regulating Google, the idea that it should be classified and treated as a public utility or common carrier simply doesn’t apply — that’s the takeaway from Gilad Edelman’s article for Wired.

“A common carrier was someone who offered to carry something to any member of the public,” wrote Edelman, “Anyone who chose to do business that way was subject to certain legal duties, including nondiscrimination.”

While there are different definitions of common carrier, they are typically companies that hold themselves out to the public as a means of transporting goods and some forms of information.

Twitter is for all practical purposes a “common carrier,” providing its service to all comers.

And the same goes for any other common carrier—the railroads, bus service, and airlines.

They intend to make the lightning a domestic slave in every house, and to turn Ariel into a common carrier.

That's common-carrier while the Fair Grounds isn't running up there.

That's common carrier too, but with one terminal in Mob Territory.

We don't make any profit on common-carrier service, the rates are too low, but we owe it to the public that supports us.