Net Neutrality

We use the internet every day. Kids and adults use the internet for news, games, movies, videos, music, and interacting with other people around the world. The internet is free for everyone and you can view whatever you want and post whatever you want. Net neutrality is the reason why you can do all of this. Net neutrality is the access to free internet for everyone. Without, net neutrality internet providers can charge you a substantial amount of money to access the internet. Yet, in 2017, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) repealed Net Neutrality in a 3-2 vote, affecting millions across the world who rely on internet access. In an age where the internet is our main source of information, it is more important than ever that we understand this concept and how it affects our daily lives.  So today we will first discuss how net neutrality came to be, then we will look at the how net neutrality protects our rights, before finally examining the consequences that we can face if net neutrality is lost.

Watch this Video about Net Neutrality

History of Net Neutrality

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Months before Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow Harvard students created the revolutionary idea of Facebook, another concept that would change the way we use the internet was created. According to the article, “A brief strange history of net neutrality,” the term net neutrality was first coined by University of Virginia Professor Tim Wu. Wu was concerned about the possibility of cable companies eliminating competition “by limiting access to what applications could be used on their networks.” As a solution, Wu came up with an idea that “forbid broadband operators, absent a showing of harm, from restricting what users do with their Internet connection.” Basically, the idea would prevent companies from censoring or eliminating certain internet content to serve their own agenda. This concept circulated around Washington for years, but it really gained momentum in the 2007 Presidential election when Future President Barack Obama endorsed the idea of free and open internet. And in 2015 Net Neutrality was made into a law with the help of Obama Administration. According to Kelsey D. Atherton on November 21st, 2017 the “2015 rule change let the FCC apply public-interest regulations to internet service providers (ISPs) and broadband providers [..]. This meant the FCC could prohibit internet providers form engaging in practices that undercut net neutrality.

Who’s Against It?

Net neutrality has many opponents. According to Worth Hiding, “60% of Americans support Net Neutrality, while only 17% oppose it. The other 23% haven’t made up their minds.”  Those against it argue that net neutrality hurts broadband providers and their investments. And this argument became popular with the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Cecelia King in her 2017 New York Times article “FCC Repeals Net Neutrality Rules,” the Federal Communications Commission  and Trump administration believes that “that unregulated business will eventually yield innovation and help the economy.” And in December 2017, the FCC voted to eliminate Net Neutrality in a 3-2 vote, changing internet use as we know it.

Why is Net Neutrality Important?

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Having Net Neutrality is extremely important because it allows internet users freedom of speech on the web. Basically, net neutrality makes sure websites aren’t allowed to block content and allows you to post whatever you want. And many political and social groups in particular rely on the ability to not only express their ideas but to also to broadcast their mission via the internet According to Free Press Digital Campaigner Lucia Martinez, “Net Neutrality is about preserving civil rights online,[…] If corporations control the internet [..] they could use this to censor political speech and crush movements for racial, gender and economic justice.” Without net neutrality, we risk silencing movements like the Black Lives Matter, the Women Rights movement, and Climate Change awareness organizations. And this could create a biased internet with a lack of political diversity that has become so essential to our society. It’s no secret that people throughout the world use the internet. In fact, according to Time magazine, 3.2 billion people across the world utilize the internet with just over 2 billion people being part of Facebook and Twitter alone.

According to Corynne Mcsherry in her article “An Attack on Net Neutrality is an Attack on Free Speech” published on July 5th, 2017, “What makes the Internet revolutionary is the ability of every user to create news and culture and participate in conversations with people all across the globe. The ability to have an open internet that is guaranteed by net neutrality allows us to stay connected with individuals that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect with. It has helped us forge relationships and keep updated on the pressing issues happening around the globe.

What does Net Neutrality Prevent?

Having net neutrality prevents internet providers from filtering what content you see on the internet. According to Worth Hiding,  “In 2017, there were 5.09 million comments made to the FCC about Net Neutrality. Of the comments submitted to the FCC, 99.3% were about Net Neutrality.” If we did not have net neutrality internet providers could slow down certain news sites to promote their views and they could choose what stories you see and not see. According to Free press published on June 20th, 2014, “For newsrooms, the FCC’s proposed rules mean that a company like Verizon could decide where its users can go for news and what stories get buried online. Verizon could strike a deal with CNN and hinder its subscribers’ abilities to access alternative news sources. Or, once its merger conditions expire, Comcast could slow access to Al Jazeera because it wants to promote its NBC news offerings.” This is saying that Verizon could promote CNN and slow down all the other news sources. This means you might not get to read your news website that you like, but rather the news sites Verizon likes. If they know you typically watch a different news network they could charge you a ton of money so you can go on their website or they can charge you money to read one article. This proves just how important net neutrality really is. Net neutrality protects us from overpaying to see news on the internet.

Without Net Neutrality

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Without net neutrality, internet providers can choose the speed of your internet. This will cause providers to charge you more for faster internet. According to Aatif Sulleyman, “Without Net Neutrality, cable and phone companies could carve the internet into fast and slow lanes. An internet service provider (ISP) could slow down its competitors’ content or block political opinions it disagreed with. ISPs could charge extra fees to the few content companies that could afford to pay for preferential treatment — relegating everyone else to a slower tier of service. This would destroy the open internet.” This is saying that internet providers will make sure your internet is slow unless you pay more for your internet. This also means that large sites like Netflix, who can afford to pay these extra fees, might succeed without net neutrality.

However, smaller sites that are just beginning might fail because they cannot afford to pay such exuberant amounts in order to have their content not slowed down. And with the repeal of Net Neutrality could come a price hike in internet services. Angelo Zino, an analyst with CFRA Research, predicts little will change in the near term, but he expects broadband prices will go up for some consumers. While many people could afford to pay more for their internet, more expensive internet could prove prohibitive for those making less. This furthers the disparity between the poor and the rich because it essentially blocks the poor from accessing the internet, something that currently unites the poor. For example, when Donald Trump says something, most people are able to see his message it if they so desire. If internet costs were increased for those living in rural areas. Those who couldn’t afford to pay for this internet would be left out of communication with the leader of their country.

Conclusion

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So today we first discussed how net neutrality came to be, then we will look at the how net neutrality protects our rights, before finally examining the consequences that we can face if net neutrality is lost. Net neutrality gives us freedom of speech, equality, education, and it helps us make our own views instead of internet providers hiding the news from us. Without net neutrality, things are going to get worse. Our freedom of speech will be violated and discrimination will grow. Internet providers will hide stories from us, that they do not want us to see and they will choose how we live. First, it will just be our freedom of speech taken away and then it will be more and soon someone is going to tell us how to live and our freedom will be taken away. Once there is no net neutrality there is no going back. The government will not change their choice and this will affect our future. This will affect millions around the world education, justice, and our rights.

Featured Image by Viggy prabhu