T
he debate over internet freedom and rent control may seem unrelated, but they share a common thread. Net neutrality advocates argued that regulation was necessary to prevent internet service providers from favoring certain content over others. However, the industry's response showed that with sufficient bandwidth, supply can meet demand, rendering regulation unnecessary. This parallels the housing market, where some argue that rent control is not needed if private suppliers can create enough housing for everyone.

    The "abundance agenda" suggests that private suppliers can provide enough housing to meet demand, eliminating the need for rent control or price fixing. This idea has been championed by supply-siders who argue that builders will provide enough housing if allowed to do so. In New York City, however, rent control was implemented in response to a post-war housing shortage, but it ultimately led to a permanent crisis.

    The city's restrictive zoning laws and subsequent rent stabilization measures stifled new construction, leading to a decades-long decline in housing production. Despite this, some left-leaning politicians have begun to accept the idea that more supply would alleviate rising housing prices. Brooklyn Council member Chi Ossé has argued that increasing demand for housing without corresponding increases in supply drives up prices.

    Progressives are increasingly recognizing the need for more housing development, and even socialist state Sen. Jabari Brisport has acknowledged that market-rate construction does not raise rents nearby. The real estate industry is taking notice of this shift in perspective, with one land-use attorney stating that the tide has turned in favor of viewing housing development as a necessary solution to the city's housing crisis.