Approximately three billion people worldwide are connected to the Internet. It is something we often take for granted, feeling lost if our phones cannot get service or connect to Wi-Fi. Just like we assume our basic rights in life, such as freedom of speech, we assume a basic right to access the un-ending reaches of the Internet whenever we please.
With all the technology of the modern world, this is something that should be guaranteed. However, imagine if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as Verizon or AT&T had the ability to slow down Internet traffic, charge fees to access certain websites or even block them entirely if it pertained to something the company did not agree with.
This is the Internet that Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), wants for the United States. Net Neutrality is the principle that ISPs cannot control or manipulate any of the content that goes through their networks. It is essentially the most basic principle of an open and free Internet and has existed since the birth of the Internet in 1990 with the creation of the World Wide Web. On December 14th, the FCC will vote on whether to abolish Net Neutrality. Here’s why that should concern you.
Pai, a former Verizon attorney, aims to allow ISPs to have full control over what their users can access on the internet. In a world that is currently ever so divided over millions of various issues, it is important for everyone to be able to share their voice and opinion. If Net Neutrality is eliminated, an ISP with a devotion to the Republican party can prevent all its users from accessing Democratic content, and vice-versa. An ISP could charge a premium for faster speeds, meaning some people will be forced to have slower internet speeds just because they cannot pay the extra fees.
Now, it is not guaranteed that a company will use this change in laws to increase fees for customers, or block certain websites just because it goes with their personal agendas.
However, each company will have full control over deciding to do this or not. In fact, the ISPs have a valid argument for supporting the repeal of net neutrality. In many ways, the Internet is the property of your ISP. The company owns the physical technology, so why can’t they control what goes through it? Just like someone can pay for a toll road, which is a faster option than taking the free back roads, it’s understandable that a company may ask the customer to pay for a faster route. However, in today’s society, the internet is a critical resource that is probably the most important piece of technology in existence. Therefore, it should not be under the influence of a select group of people to decide the rules of it.
What can you do? If interested in voicing your opinion on the topic, you can go to https://www.battleforthenet.com/ to write or even call a member of Congress. John Oliver bought the URL http://www.gofccyourself.com, which lands you on the FCC website (just click +Express) where you can voice your opinion on the topic. Oliver did this because of how difficult the FCC made it t onavigate their website in order to leave comments on the topic. Learn more about the topic online, because an educated person voicing their opinion is the strongest weapon for or against change like this.
