Ever since last November when the issue of Net Neutrality in the U.S. had even become an issue, right through to when it got set up back in June, I have been trying to keep up with the news about what’s going on in the US. I have recently heard that 22 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have gone to the supreme court to get the FCC ruling overturned. When I first learned that the debate on net neutrality was even a thing I was genuinely concerned. Now I am thrilled to know that the people of the US are making demands that it be reinstated.
What is Net Neutrality again?
Net Neutrality, in a nutshell, is the law that states that Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) must give all websites the same speed of access. Essentially, if you are watching Netflix, you need to be allowed to stream at the same speed that you would if you were to stream off the HBO web channel. Similarly, Net Neutrality makes it so that you can access all websites at the same speed.
Why is Net Neutrality Important?
If internet providers are able to decide which businesses are able to operate their websites at optimal speed and which ones aren’t then what will start happening is ISP’s will be able to charge businesses for their highest speeds. While some multi-million corporations will be able to pay for the higher speeds, small mom and pop shops and local businesses (which have thrived in an internet economy) will not be able to afford the higher rates, and their sites will be run slower. This will make it so that these smaller businesses will not have “fast enough” internet speeds and their sites will load slower. Customers will be forced to go to the more prominent companies, and the smaller stores will quickly and quietly perish. When the smaller businesses die, the ISP’s will want to find more money and start charging the more prominent companies more. These costs, I would imagine would get passed onto the customers who would have to pay more for the things that they buy, making products more expensive. That’s just from the business side.
On the Customer side, I know very few people who don’t buy at least something online. If you as the customer are required to pay more for your internet speeds to be higher, but can’t afford to, you will experience dial-up level speeds for the internet. We now live in a world where the Internet is the gateway to nearly everything, and having to pay excessive amounts of money to use it the way you did before is entirely ridiculous.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
If you are a U.S. citizen and you are in one of the 22 states (as well as the District of Columbia), I would please ask you to keep up the fight for Net Neutrality. It’s an important fight that must be won. Keep talking to people, write e-mails and tweet your congresspeople and senators to encourage them to continue fighting for your right to an equal internet. If you are in one of the other states that have not stood up for Net neutrality, I would humbly request that you call, e-mail or tweet your local congressperson and Senator and get them moving. If you can get all 50 states and their representatives to demand the return of Net Neutrality, then there is no way that the will of the people could be denied.
As for the rest of us who live outside of the US in a world that still embraces Net Neutrality all we can really do is watch and see what happens. To the Citizens of the U.S. all I really can say is this; Please keep up your fight for Net Neutrality. Part of living in a global economy is being able to communicate to everyone else, so it’s really in the U.S.’s best interest to have Net Neutrality.
Do you believe in Net Neutrality?
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