Internet Neutrality is at Risk 

May 15, 2014

Net Neutrality. A lovely concept that is slowly eroding away as the Federal Communications Commission is strongly considering doing away with by allowing internet service providers (ISPs) to charge a website more for a “fastlane” similar to the concept of the HOV on a highway. Lets break this down a bit and talk about why this is simply a terrible idea.

1. Internet access is already expensive. Imagine now being charged extra because you have Netflix or when you are uploading a silly “selfie” that others will then spend more money just to like it and tell you how gorgeous your.
2. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use the internet to find a good restaurant or get recommendations on the best running shoes or to browse the already heavy and somewhat slow Pinterest. If the FCC votes in favor of the “controversial plan”, I will either be experiencing even longer loading times or just having to pay more.
3. Enough about my #priviledgedpeoplesproblems, according to the pewinternet.org, low income individuals, communities of color and young people indicate that their primary source for accessing the internet is through their smartphones. Majority of this population are also using pre-paid data packages that will cost more with the eradication of net neutrality.
4. There is nothing good that comes of changing the rules to net neutrality. The only benefit is to the companies that provide internet access and their CEO’s bank accounts. Websites, online companies, digital news sources, and social media will suffer greatly.
5. People rely heavily on the internet for educational purposes, you know since everything on the internet is true. But seriously, many students will suffer because their online courses will cost more, young students will not be able to access online encyclopedias and other resources for projects and wonderful educational sites like Center for American Progress, Wyofile.com and Sexetc.org will be out of reach for our communities.

I could go on and on about this but the simple fact is that this is a terrible idea and the FCC needs to hear about it. Please take a moment to let the FCC know that they are seriously messing up right now and how these changes could affect you. The comment period runs through July 27^th. According to theverge.com “In particular, the commission is seeking comment on its controversial new standard for allowing ISPs to create a fast lane. Companies will be allowed to create fast lanes so long as they do so in a “commercially reasonable” manner, but what exactly defines a commercially reasonable manner isn’t clear yet and, theoretically, will be influenced by citizens’ comments. Though it would mean a big change from the proposal, the commission is also asking whether fast lanes should simply be banned outright.

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