On Wednesday, December 14th, the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal Net Neutrality. At this point, if you’re an American with access to the internet you’ve heard this news already, but do you know what it really means?
Net Neutrality is "the basic principle that prohibits internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites you want to use”. Net Neutrality is the guiding principle behind free speech on the internet. It’s what allows activist movements like Black Lives Matter and the Woman’s March to spread their messages, grow, and succeed in an environment of equal access. Without Net Neutrality, the internet will no longer be the free, open platform that we all know and use every day.
Repealing Net Neutrality doesn’t just mean having to possibly pay a monthly subscription fee for social media outlet sites or internet bundles—much like you have to do with cable TV. It means having limited options for news; it means censorship and restriction of online content that many people depend on to stay informed and connected with the world. Repealing Net Neutrality is bad news for people like me—online journalists—and people like you—consumers of online journalism. The whole principle of the platform that I write for is freedom of expression to share ideas with an ever-growing digital audience.
Right now, you have free access to my ideas, and the ideas of hundred of thousands, if not millions, of other online journalists across the web as long as you have access to the internet—any internet, anywhere. On Odyssey’s platform alone, you can read content from creators on both sides of the political aisle, all points on the LGBT spectrum, diverse religious perspectives, and all other walks of life. Don’t take that for granted. If you appreciate the ability to read what you want, when you want, from whom you want—say something, because all that could be taken away from you in an instant.
Online journalists and content consumers aren’t the only people who are in danger due to the possible repeal of Net Neutrality. The poor are particularly at risk. By and large, we live in a digital world where almost everything can be done online, and some things are exclusively online. Imagine being unable to apply for a job because you don’t have the money to pay for the internet bundle that gives you quick access to those sites, or giving up on the idea of college because you don’t have access to online scholarship applications.
Net Neutrality ensures that minority groups get the voice that they deserve, that the underprivileged have the ability to apply for the benefits they so badly need, and that start-ups have the chance to succeed. Repealing Net Neutrality spells bad news for online journalists, but it also spells bad news for those in poverty, online businesses, students, content creators, website designers, and millions of people who rely on the internet for information or their livelihood. The only people who will benefit from the repeal of Net Neutrality are the people who will be pocketing the extra cash from the privatization of the internet.
Mignon Clyburn, one of the two FCC commissioners that voted in opposition of repealing Net Neutrality, shared her perspective on the dangerous results a repeal would cause, saying, “We will be in a world where regulatory substance fades to black, and all that is left is a broadband provider’s toothy grin and those oh so comforting words: 'We have every incentive to do the right thing.' What they will soon have is every incentive to do their own thing.” If the internet becomes privatized like cable TV service, how long will it be before a monopoly forms and consumers are forced to pay climbing prices just for a few basic “channels”? How long will it take before internet providers intentionally slow down webs service in an attempt to coerce consumers into upgrading?
The FCC still has to go to court to defend their decisions, meaning that the fight for Net Neutrality is not over, but it’s not enough to sit back and just hope that things will work out. That’s what many people thought about the 2016 presidential election, and yet here we are a year later, for better or for worse, all because Americans sat back instead of speaking up. We’ve seen what happens when people make it a priority to make their voices heard in the recent special election in Alabama where Democrat Doug Jones beat out Republican Roy Moore by a narrow margin—all because people showed up to the polls.
What can you do to make your voice heard and ensure that the internet stays free? First, educate yourself. Read about what Net Neutrality is and what this ruling could mean so that you understand what’s at stake. Second, find an outlet to share your voice. Maybe that means creating a piece of content (article, video, blog, etc.) to spread awareness about this issue. You can also sign the ACLU’s petition requesting that congress overturn the FCC’s ruling, or call your local legislator.
Saving Net Neutrality is about more than just keeping social media free. It’s about ensuring that Americans from all walks of life continue to have an equal voice in all conversations.
