Net Neutrality is about to end.
Net
neutrality, to put it simply, is the idea that all internet traffic should be
treated the same. This means that all
users are treated equally and have equal access. It is currently the guiding principle and
permits communicating freely online and is representative of one of the First
Amendment’s pillars: Freedom of Speech.
However, net
neutrality is not a given. It has had
and continues to have a controversial story.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Comcast, Verizon and
Time-Warner Cable, have indicated that they would like more control over the
internet and have proposed that internet highways be divided into fast and slow
lanes, which would have the effect of speeding up some content and slowing down
others. That way, they can charge fees
and give fast access to some websites and slow down competitors, content and
opinions that they don’t like. This would
destroy the open internet.
Net
neutrality is necessary for small business owners, entrepreneurs and
start-ups. They rely on the net to
create and launch their businesses, find a market, advertise and distribute
their merchandise. All commerce should
be free to enter the web on a level playing field. It is needed for innovation, competition and
job growth. It is debatable whether Facebook, Twitter and Google would have
become what they are without net neutrality. No company, especially ISPs who
are the gatekeepers of the internet, should interfere.
In 2010, the
Federal Communication Commission (FCC) presented the “Open Internet Order” preventing ISPs
from interfering with internet traffic.
The purpose was also to insure that all users be treated equally.
However, in
May, 2014, current FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a plan that would allow
“pay-to-play” plans for the ISPs, notably AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon. They would be able to collect fees for faster
service. This led to huge protests by millions
of Americans. Messages swamped the
switchboard and computers of the FCC. Wheeler dropped the idea.
On February
4, 2015, Wheeler announced that net neutrality would be based on Title II of
the Communications Act, reclassified the internet a “telecommunication
service.” It became formal on February
26 when it redefined broadband as a connection to the outside world which is
faster than phones, faxes and dial-up.
Wheeler made it clear there was no plan to control the net. “This is no more a plan to regulate the
internet than the First Amendment is a plan to regulate free speech.”
The ISPs
responded angrily to the new classification, saying they will be hurt by the
new rules and investments in services will decline. They vowed to challenge the rules in court
and in Congress.
And as of
Summer, 2015, the future of net neutrality remains unclear. The Republicans quietly placed the issue in
the annual Appropriation Bill, which, if passed, would prevent the FCC from
using government funds to implement it until all legal challenges are settled.
“A vote for
this bill is a vote against consumers and small businesses, plain and
simple. Congress should reject this
legislation as swiftly as it was unveiled,” says Josh Stager of New America’s
Open Technology Institute, an advocacy group.
Net
neutrality is now in severe danger. The FCC under the Trump administration is
about to vote to end it and let the ISPs take over. Net neutrality may end in
December, 2017. Millions are opposed to
this, including major websites like Google and Amazon. Americans should all
stand up and protest.
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