The Crisis That is: Net Neutrality

What is Net Neutrality?

Net Neutrality prohibits any form of internet service from increasing or decreasing internet speeds along with prohibiting them from blocking certain content or websites. Internet services such as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and Sprint would be able to charge their customers more money in order to utilize their services, thus stating that the internet would have to be paid for just like a utility payment — gas, electricity, water, etc.

Without Net Neutrality, internet is basically no longer the internet that we have always had. With the removal of it, it would remove the people's right to communicate freely with the use of the internet. Furthermore, the removal of Net Neutrality would allow internet services to discriminate against their costumers and the way they use the internet. For instance, an internet company would be allowed to block a website discussing LGBTQ+ issues, or the company could block a costumer's access to a political website.

However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a vote to repeal Net Neutrality on Thursday, December 12. Out of the five-member panel, there are three Republican members that are expected of their party to vote against Net Neutrality, thus causing the removal of internet accessibility. Many citizens are going against the vote as it will allow the U.S. Government to control how people use the internet. As a response to this event, there have been widespread protests — a record one thousand organized protests. Along with protests, there have been over one million calls to Congress and almost a half-million people joined "Team Internet." With such a large controversy arising about the accessibility of the Internet, there have also been — a recorded — thousands of small businesses taking part in this controversy, which has gained them hundreds of thousands of supporters.

According to The Verge, two senators from Maine, Susan Collins and Angus King, Jr., are urging the FCC to cancel Thursday's Net Neutrality vote, writing a letter as follows: “Repealing the FCC’s net neutrality rules will undermine long-standing protections that that have ensured the open internet as a powerful and trans-formative platform of innovation and economic opportunity." Addressing the concerns of the people, the senator's correspondingly pleaded to the vote, although The Verge claims that is unlikely that the plan to vote will be repealed. However, millions of Americans are on the senators' side, hoping that this will not be the end of the internet.

A Fight For the Future campaign director, Evan Greer, produced the following statement: "The net neutrality movement is stronger today than it has ever been. Telecom lobbyists should enjoy a stiff drink this Thursday night, because they’ve awakened the fury of the Internet, and the American people are about to get Congress to put their dreams of new fees, throttling, and censorship to rest, for good.”

Therefore, with the majority of the U.S. population owning a smart phone and even more of the majority owning a computer, the honest reality is that Net Neutrality would block certain consumer accesses to the internet, and social media networks will be heavily affected as the internet companies will be allowed to change their speeds — meaning that you might have to pay extra to avoid slow speeds. Moreover, the removal of Net Neutrality could limit the amount of voices spoken over global issues that would also limit the progress made on these issues.

Organizations such as BattleForTheNet and Team Internet are urging people to follow along with their campaign to encourage officials to disapprove the repeal of Net Neutrality with the use of the Congressional Review Act which will actually allow Congress to overturn a rule drafted by any federal agency.

If you are against this vote, please sign the mass petitions that are currently out there and call your senators to let your voice be heard.

Works Cited

Cook, Jeffrey. “FCC to Vote on Net Neutrality Repeal.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 14 Dec. 2017

Robertson, Adi. “Two Senators Make Final Call to Cancel Net Neutrality Vote.” The Verge, 14 Dec. 2017