Net Neutrality: This Should Be Keeping You Up At Night

net-neutrality

Net Neutrality is a regulation that was passed by the previous administration and prohibits Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from blocking or throttling access to websites and services; as well as preventing ISP’s from creating “paid-priority” services. In a nutshell, Net Neutrality ensures that all internet traffic is treated equally. So the Trump administration removed it — big deal, right? It’s not like Trump shut off the internet — what’s all the noise for?

Let me put it to you like this: those protections prevented ISPs from:

  1. Charging extra for access to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: As you may know, cable companies charge extra for channels like HBO and Showtime (and practically anything else worth watching) ON TOP OF a normal cable bill. The same can now be done for websites. Imagine paying an extra $5 a month for access to YouTube. Sounds cool, right? Nope.
  2. Blocking or throttling your access to websites: Imagine going to Netflix as a Comcast customer and getting a page that reads it’s blocked because it’s not part of your “data package.” Most ISPs and telecommunication companies own smaller ISPs, entertainment companies, and telecoms (because they bought their competition). Without net neutrality, companies like Comcast (which owns NBC Universal) can favor bandwidth and access to media they They can throttle internet speeds or block competitive sites from their customers unless they are paid extra for them.
  3. Interfering with access to opposing views: Modern day change starts (and most often relies) on the internet. Think of the start-up companies, grassroots organizations, and political movements that needed an open internet to survive. Now think of the average ISP blocking access to those groups, because their beliefs do not align with those of the ISP execs. It would be like Fox News determining that your company violates their corporate values, and restricting your online visibility to the public.

The argument for abolishing Net Neutrality is that it gives some control back to the companies building our infrastructure. AT&T and Comcast are laying down fiber blankets across Chicago. It’s been (largely) their investment to improve our technical infrastructure and make our internet faster. And Net Neutrality is a regulation that stifles their innovations. As well as their continued investment in our infrastructure. And so, ISPs (and Telecoms) are making the argument that by keeping the internet an even playing field, they cannot find a way to continue investing in infrastructure for advancements like autonomous driving, and better networks for EMS and surgeons (as was implied by Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T).

I’ll let you make what you want of that argument.

The bottom line is this: the internet won’t change overnight because of this. It will be a slow and gradual process, by which ISPs and Telecoms introduce new “packages” and “plans” that slowly incorporate new pricing models. You’ll pay a little more here and there for what used to be free, and those prices and plans will go up little by little, until your internet bill looks more like a DirecTV bill. It will be a process, because any successful company knows that the best way to introduce high costs is to introduce it a spoonful at a time. I won’t make the extreme, doomsday argument that the 1st Amendment is under fire; but I won’t outright dismiss it either. This is my blog, after all.

Our only hope at keeping the internet open and fair rests in the hands of Congress. I’d like to yell “CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS!” at the top of my lungs, but your computer might not have speakers, and the internet might block my voice.