What is net neutrality? It is the principle that online communication and services should be free. Pretty simple, right? Well unfortunately, the FCC and several big cable providers have been proposing old ideas that will inhibit the access of online services that will come with a fee. This not only threatens the availability of the Internet, but it weakens our way to communicate with other people. Here’s the thing, net neutrality makes it so that the big websites like “YouTube”, “Facebook”, and more have become the level of success and popularity due to the high competition to make a profiting online site. So all of the great websites that you enjoy to go on everyday are because of net neutrality existing.
If the FCC passes their proposition that allows companies like “Verizon”, “AT&T”, and “Comcast” to charge an extra fee to your Internet services. For example, websites such as “YouTube”, “Facebook”, and “Netflix” will be even more expensive on top of the access fees that you already pay for them. Think of it like you had a low data allowance like me. I only get 3 GB per month and when I over that, I can be charged a $10 fee for an extra gigabyte. Same concept here if net neutrality is taken down. You will get the same services, but once that threshold is passed, your service or Internet connection is drastically decreased. The only way to amend that slow connection would be paying for the upgraded and ultimately more expensive connection, always suspiciously labeled as ‘premium’.
Knowing live in the society labeled as a capitalist one, I understand why companies will choose this path. But this speaks to a more important issue than that of money. As mentioned first, online communication will be cut down or drastically reduced. Being a student of criminal justice, this raises first amendment flags and violations. How can this be legal? Because it only hinders a method of communication, while it doesn’t physically hinders our actual free speech. Again, being a student myself, this will affect education in the long-term. Imagine, doing a full day of school and going back to your home or dorm to start your homework. But due to the lack of net neutrality, it causes you to fall back on the information necessary to efficiently research for your essay or project. The FCC will ultimately place fees on services that affect that student’s education that will either force them to get bad grades or pay for the premium service with money they need to pay for college. A classic lose-lose situation for that student. Now take that situation and multiply to all of the students across the United States.
So how can we battle the FCC’s proposition? Every couple of years, the FCC re-submits the proposition that threatens net neutrality; this was one of those years. You can send a letter to the FCC and Congress here on: https://www.battleforthenet.com/ to voice your position on net neutrality and its importance. Reddit is also a huge platform to message your state representative and a post created by Alexis Ohanian does that very thing. You can see the post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/6mtgtp/we_need_your_voice_as_we_continue_the_fight_for/. There has been over two million letters sent by battleforthenet.com and over 9000 comments on the post. The support is there and we will need more. Take a few moments to write a letter to the FCC, Congress, and your state representatives to save net neutrality and save the Internet.
