Hey, Roommates! A lot of you guys have been asking us what this #netneutrality stuff is all about, so we decided to simplify it for you and tell you guys why it’s imperative that we pay attention to certain decisions that are about to be made regarding our right to equal internet access.
Net Neutrality is a term that describes a free and open internet for everyone to use. It prevents ISPs or “internet service providers” such as Comcast, AT&T, Verizon etc. from speeding up, slowing down (throttling) or blocking any content from websites or apps that you’re engaging with. In a nutshell, Net Neutrality is designed to keep internet access equal and is designed to protect free speech over the internet.
All of this could change thanks to, you guessed it, #DonaldTrump. Last Tuesday, his #FCC chairman Ajit Pai, who was once the VP of Verizon, petitioned to roll back current net neutrality rules. He thinks it’s a way to keep the government from “micromanaging” the Internet and for ISPs to be open about what they’re doing.
“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet,” Pai said in a statement. “Instead, the F.C.C. would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them.”
The proposal seems to favor ISPs at the expense of consumers. They will be allowed to charge bigger companies such as Google or Netflix more money for faster delivery speeds and charge consumers higher rates—neither of which they were ever allowed to do.
A lot of e-commerce business owners are worried that this could negatively affect them. If they can’t afford to pay for faster internet speeds then how will they be able to grow their businesses? In addition, consumers fear that social activism websites could be blocked, but a few ISPs vow not to do this. Comcast’s chief executive, David N. Watson, wrote in a blog post that his company “does not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content.”
We shall see, Roommates!
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on IG, @tallyohhh on Twitter
Source: https://www.freepress.net/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now, https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/business/net-neutrality-small-businesses.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FNet%20Neutrality&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&referer=https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/net-neutrality
