It’s extraordinarily likely that you are reading this on the internet and there’s also a good chance that you’re reading this in the US. On Monday, June 11th, 2018, Net Neutrality rules came to an end in the United States.
This is a big deal. And if you’re not careful, the repeal just becomes another brief mention and then that’s it. So much seems to be happening at once that it feels overwhelming – like listening to twenty radio stations at the same time.
So, let’s focus on just what net neutrality is, why it matters and what it means for you.
Along with the car and TV, the internet has revolutionized how we live. So much of our lives are now intimately entwined with it and depend upon it.
Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers (ISP) have to treat all online internet data fairly. That is to say that all internet users are treated equally in terms of what websites and content they access. It provides a level playing field that ensures that ISP’s cannot slow down or levy fees for particular online content and websites.
Put another way, it means that the smallest online operation gets a chance to be heard and seen on a free and open internet and not just big-bucks companies and corporations that can afford to pay more by way of advertising or exerting other financial pressures.
Obama was clear, both as a Senator and as President, that net neutrality was very important to him. For example, in November 2014, he expressed this in an open letter to the American people:
Likewise, net neutrality has always enjoyed healthy public support in the United States, as per Obama’s reference to the 4 million comments to the FCC. In contrast, a number of American ISPs opposed net neutrality, as they still do, including AT&T and Verizon.
What is/ Was Net Neutrality in the USA?
Trump appointed Republican Ajit Pai as chairman of the FCC in January 2017. Pai had long been a proponent of repealing net neutrality, referring to it as a “mistake” and “heavy-handed.” Pai had held a number of roles before his tenure with the FCC including a general counsel for Verizon, a huge ISP, from 2001 to 2003.
In the December 2017, the FCC voted, 3-2, to repeal the net neutrality regulations implemented by Obama. Pai was making good his vow to have “light-touch” regulation of the internet. His argument being that net neutrality had stifled innovation and the further future development of broadband across the US.
Critically, with the repeal, the FCC is also removing itself as the “referee” of future broadband development, moving that responsibility the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The reason why that is so critical is that the FCC was able to have a defined focus on regulating the internet, ISPs and future broadband development. In contrast, the FTC does not have that focus. It covers a whole range of consumer issues, not just telecommunications, and therefore runs the risk as not being as effective as the FCC was.
Also, the FTC does not have the rule-making and enforcement capacity that the FCC did when it comes to ISPs. The FTC will be limited in that it only has each ISPs voluntary code of standards to look at in the case of alleged wrongdoing. Without a broadband provider having made a voluntary commitment to net neutrality, the powers of enforcement by the FTC are very limited.
The FTC can also look at ISPs through the lens of anti-trust activity, but that sort of scenario is very rare and can take years to resolve. Whereas the FCC could be proactive in ensuring that the internet was regulated and fair for all, the FTC can only really take action, whenever that may be, in a reactive sense.
Opponents strike a very different tone. They claim that the repeal of net neutrality regulations and the switch from the FCC to the FTC means that over time, ISPs and broadband companies will be able to control more and more of your internet experience.
Like cable TV, if you are prepared to pay more, you can get better, faster access to internet services that you had previously taken for granted. Particularly so if major ISPs give their own services priority over others online.
The fear of internet “fast lanes” being set up by ISPs, where you pay extra for a better service, have also been flagged up. Those who use non-fast lane services may see restrictions in both what they can access and internet speeds.
Another concern is that a less regulated internet means that the internet is more at the mercy of established ISP and broadband providers and that will allow them to squeeze out new and up and coming competitors, making the market actually less competitive.
Opponents of the repeal are overwhelmingly Democratic, although a handful of Republicans have also denounced the move. Consumer groups and civil rights organizations have also condemned the repeal. And for extra clout, giants like Mozilla, Reddit, Netflix, Etsy and Google have also criticized the repeal arguing that it is neither in the interests of consumers or enhancing future broadband technology.
In May this year, the matter was introduced to a vote in the Senate courtesy of the Congressional Review Act (that allows the Senate to repeal federal agency regulations by way of a majority vote, instead of the usual 60 votes needed for most legislation being considered.) Surprisingly, the Senate voted 52 to 47 in favor of stopping the repeal. All 49 Senate Democrats voted to stop the repeal, along with 3 Republicans who were prepared to break party ranks in the name of keeping a free and fair internet. Those 3 were John Kennedy (Louisiana), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
What the net neutrality repeal means for companies
- Net Neutrality laws made the internet a level playing field where companies big and small could compete equally
- The repeal puts small businesses at risk of losing out to internet giants
- ISPs can now provide fast-lanes to companies who are willing and able to pay for them
The decision to end net neutrality immediately sent shock-waves among online small businesses, freelancers and up-and-coming e-entrepreneurs. Fearful of online commerce becoming skewed against small business and loaded in favor of established online heavy-weights, the National Small Business Association (NSBA) was quick to sound an alarm bell:
“This change will allow internet companies to charge a fee for band-width use, stymieing access to information and content to those with fewer resources. Furthermore, this change could make breaking out with a new technology, or product, or company, all the more difficult – something about which NSBA’s members are concerned.”
How the net neutrality repeal will affect US citizens
- Consumers could be forced to pay extra
- A lot of trust is put in ISPs to treat customers fairly
- There have been many cases of ISPs abusing their power to provid
Let’s be direct here – the implications of the repeal of net neutrality for US citizens are wide-spread and profound.
With internet traffic no longer treated in an equitable fashion by ISPs, regular consumer-citizens are faced with the prospect of paying more for services that they previously took for granted. Like cable TV providers, ISPs can now potentially offer a range of service, subject to what their consumers can afford.
What the repeal means for US education
- Unmetered access to the internet is fundamental to modern education
- Many schools work with tight budgets, having to pay more for internet services would add strain
- Education startups may face an uphill struggle to provide services to schools
Public schools also offer students the opportunity to have access to the internet, regardless of income levels at home. For those students from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, with no internet facilities at home, schools offer a way for them to have access to the online world. With the repeal of net neutrality, those same school-based resources are at danger of being diluted and young learners being further disadvantaged.
If ISP’s start to charge for better, quality services and the likes of “fast lane” web-browsing, those schools operating on tight budgets (most, right?) may feasibly have no other option than to dilute down the internet service they provide to their students in the name of cost.
Similarly, those students who come from less well-off homes, but still have access to the internet there, could have their ability to complete homework assignments compromised by the repeal. With content becoming more expensive and exclusive, students access to online resources at home to complete their homework assignments could become at risk.
Also, future innovations in respect of new education technologies may face uphill struggles post repeal.
Those smaller, newer companies offering new, break-through educational online tools to schools and colleges may be confronted with prohibitive costs online that they simply cannot navigate their way through to fruition.
Joseph South, International Society for Technology in Education Chief Learning Officer stated:
“If you think about a new company, a start-up — and they have some really great new idea to help educators — in order to get their product in front of educators, they may have to pay to make their service fast enough to make it compelling to educators. While the big publishers have the deep pockets to pay for that extra speed, the small ones may not.”
So, these are uncertain times for educators and students. If only the school-bell would now ring time for the end of the net neutrality repeal.
WHO’S GETTING INVOLVED?
A number of Tech companies (including the likes of Vimeo, Etsy and Mozilla) have launched lawsuits against the FCC in an effort to have net neutrality restored.
Over twenty states, including New York and California, are looking to implement net neutrality within their own jurisdictions, while governors in a number of other states have introduced executive orders that implement the requirement for ISPs to abide by net neutrality principles.
If you are concerned by the repeal there are a number of ways you can get involved.
You can also get involved online with the like of Battle for the Internet with a range of resources and ideas to keep up the fight for net neutrality.
https://www.battleforthenet.com/
Latest Net Neutrality News: CLICK HERE
Read the full article Net Neutrality: The Always Up to Date Guide | by Sabai Technology
