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Throttling Our Freedom
The appeal of Net Neutrality has consequences that many will not like.
Net neutrality, the idea that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, without favoring or blocking particular products or websites, is an issue that has thrust its way into the media spotlight as of late. It has also been the stem of much political debate. Yet, despite both media and political attention, it is fair to say that many consumers remain in the dark, or at the very least confused, by net neutrality and whether it is something they should want or not.
In the United States, this protection requires declaring internet providers as a public utility.This means that internet service providers, also known as ISP’s, would not be able to block, throttle, or prioritize any sort of content available over the internet. These rules were originally put into place under the Obama administration in 2015, and were recently repealed by the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, in December.
The common concern that stems from the FCC ruling is that the internet will no longer be “free,” as ISP’s will now have free reign to further exert control over online media and how it gets to the consumer. It is no secret that American telecommunications markets are being monopolized by very few large corporations such as Verizon and Comcast. The repeal of net neutrality poses an issue for the consumer, as it would allow ISP’s to pull in more profit for potentially worse service. This ultimately would only feed into the greed of large companies and hurt the consumer.
Yet, some, such as the FCC chairman Ajit Pai, believe that getting rid of net neutrality would open up more competition between service providers and, in turn, benefit the consumer. Companies would be regulated less, and therefore have more free reign and be able to better suit their customers for whatever needs they may have. The push to end net neutrality also stems from the idea that without further regulation, businesses can create more competitive business models that would seemingly benefit the economy more so than the neutral business models present now, which arguably stifle competition and limit growth. The issue of the federal government handling data rather than the consumer is also a cause for concern for those who are anti-neutrality.
It is important to realize, however, that providing these large telecom corporations more control and opportunity to manipulate what is seen and read across the internet is not a good thing. Giving these monopolies more power than they already have would not only harm the American people, but also make it nearly impossible for new companies to surface. Ultimately, ISP’s should not be able to interfere with or restrict content that is viewed or posted online, as they would be deciding what succeeds and what fails. This invests too much power in the wrong hands—the hands of the elite few. The end result? Without net neutrality, the majority will suffer.
