Recent decisions made by the Federal Communications Commission, headed by Trump appointee and former Verizon employee Ajit Pai, have ruffled numerous feathers especially in the tech sector. As Pai work arduously to justify his decisions to repeal net neutrality regulations, it's important to reflect on the history of the subject. In recent years content on the internet has exploded to the point of being nearly essential to all. The internet is host to a wide variety of content, and as users we expect to access anything the same as any other piece of content. The basic idea of net neutrality preserves that ideal, that all content is treated fairly by internet providers and one service or type of content isn't favored. In the past tampering by ISPs has occurred. One instance, in 2007, saw Verizon blocking a text alert service by the pro-choice group Naral due it being "controversial". This seems to be in clear contradiction to net neutrality as well as the basis of political freedom so vital in a democracy. A decision made in 2015 by the then Democrat led FCC, classified broadband internet as a public utility which entailed strict enforcement of net neutrality. Despite the issue of net neutrality being proven be non partisan and widely supported, Republicans across the board criticize it for stifling investment and growth. These claims have proven hard to confirm but the FCC, now led by Pai, plans to vote to repeal the regulation on December 14th. Public comments have come in hordes to decry the vote, and numerous dead citizens have been tied to accounts supporting the lack of regulation. Additionally, dozens of internet companies, including the likes of Netflix, Google, and Reddit, have spoken out in support of the regulations protecting net neutrality. Things are heating up as the vote approaches, with Pai's family even receiving death threats. The fate of the open internet as we know it may be decided on December 14th.
1) Do you feel like people are aware of the importance of net neutrality and the problems facing it?
2) Why might Republican representatives stray from their base and make net neutrality a partisan issue?
3) What are any possible positives to come of repealed regulation of net neutrality?
1) Do you feel like people are aware of the importance of net neutrality and the problems facing it?
2) Why might Republican representatives stray from their base and make net neutrality a partisan issue?
3) What are any possible positives to come of repealed regulation of net neutrality?
1. If people were not aware of the importance of net neutrality before, they are certainly aware of it now. Soon after the plan came out, "more than 200,000 phone calls, organized through online campaigns, have been placed to Congress in protest". Now that it has been brought to the attention of people, it will be very hard to make them forget. For many people, this plan is taking away something that they've grown accustomed to, free internet, which was garnered by the 2015 Open Internet Order. So, although people may not have recognized the importance of net neutrality before, net neutrality has made them aware of it now.
ReplyDelete2) The reason why some Republicans have begun opposing net neutrality is the idea of business growth. If the internet providers, such as Verizon were able to slow down speeds for less accessed sites, it would save them a significant amount of money and as most people know, Republicans are usually pro business. It may also be true that these internet providers have been lobbying the congressmen and would reward them for taking down net neutrality.
ReplyDelete3) If net neutrality is to be repealed, Consumers will not benefit and will in fact suffer from slower network speeds and be limited to certain content(undemocratic). However, Internet Service Providers will benefit in the following ways:
ReplyDelete1. they will profit even more by forcing websites to pay in order to maintain fast
network speeds.
2. they can profit even more by offering consumers "fast lanes" in which
network seems to be quicker but in reality all other websites are slower.
3. they can kill competition by blocking websites that are competing with them
in any way.
4. they can control what users see.
I think people were very unaware of net neutrality before this issue was publicized. I think in general, many people are politically apathetic and some do not even look into the issues once they are publicized and made aware to the masses.
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ReplyDelete1. Most of the population is unaware of net neutrality rule changes because they are uneducated on the importance of the Internet. This does not excuse the FCC from changing the regulations, by any means, but people should be able to understand the issue in order to make a political difference in the policy making process. When people know what is affecting them, then they can act. Now, the bureaucracy of unelected officials has rendered the American public oblivious and uneducated.
ReplyDelete1. No, i feel like people don't really know what Net Neutrality really does for them in their daily lives. According to the internet jokes i've seen on the internet, people seem to think that its companies forcing people to pay packages similar to cable tv packages for apps and sites they have always been using (Facebook, Google, etc). Net Neutrality actually assures equal service and viewing on the internet, so access to most sites is still allowed, but with NN out of sync, sites will be slower and some sites inaccessible/hard to find. Overall, people don't really have the most in depth understanding and could learn more.
ReplyDelete1. Personally, I understand the implications of Net Neutrality's appeal, but I don't really feel the same way in which some others are expressing. Net Neutrality was only implemented two years ago. For me, I didn't even notice a difference in my daily life or internet use after the change. I understand that Net Neutrality provides an equal standard of internet speeds across the board and repealing the act will surely benefit some major service companies, but the argument that Net Neutrality's repeal will forever change my life and internet experience doesn't sit with me.
ReplyDelete1. No, net neutrality an old concept (the 80's) was somewhat lost in the world of news because its a relatively strong principle many assumed to be unchangeable and just how the internet functions. This concept has been called an "Obama era" idea but really it has been in practice much longer. This idea has always been held onto strongly by communities on line and seen some spikes in public interest. As of lately people did know how to feel about the topic and were not educated due to the scope of media. However, when the public learns the importance of net neutrality it seems lots of people are angry. Now its funny to see this but also sad that they decided to remove it on a whim. Its going to take a while to be in effect but it will effect everyone at some point and this goes to show the importance on educating the public on issues.
ReplyDelete1. I don't think that net neutrality is a widely understood topic, so as it circulates in the political circle with decisions to be made many of the citizens are puzzled about what is happening. I believe that people will not realize how net neutrality affects them until something does change and then there will be an uproar of people complaining.
ReplyDelete1. I feel like most people are unaware of net neutrality and what it does for citizens. Many people are only recently hearing about it because of the changes. Many won't realize the effects that it will have after it is removed and how it will change the media. Until people see that they are negatively being effected, little will be done to change this.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that people are truly informed about net neutrality and what it could potentially do because no one has seen its effects in real life.
ReplyDelete1. Even though net neutrality has gained a lot of attention recently, I don't think most people truly understand it. In a similar sense, many people hear about Obamacare/ACA without knowing that they are the same thing. I think people are too uninformed about topics like net neutrality, despite the attention surrounding the topics. Moreover, people are, in general, pretty lazy, so they may not even bother to research it.
ReplyDelete1. I do not think that people are informed enough on what net neutrality is and how it will affect our daily lives. Its 2017! EVERYONE uses the internet and this would clearly be impactful on many lives and occupations.
ReplyDelete1. I definitely don't think people understand the extent to which it will impact us. Internet browsing has become so central to our lives and I think net neutrality reinforces the idea of "equal opportunity" that is so central to American political culture. Once we pay for websites, and those paying more are able to get faster connection, equal access to online information, and thus equal opportunity, will be lost.
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