Caption: Chairman Ajit Pai speaks for the FCC. (flickr)
On Tuesday, November 21, FCC’s chairman, Ajit Pai, released a controversial proposal to dismantle regulations, coined as net neutrality, that protect equal access to the internet. If this plan passes, ISP’s (Internet Service Providers like Time Warner Cable, Verizon, etc.) can charge consumers more for a less equal internet.
Net neutrality is the equality of all things internet. Being able to open any website on the internet is net neutrality at work. If dismantled, ISP’s could slow down the loading speed of certain websites —or not let them load at all —while increasing the speeds of others. Afraid of being denied access to certain platforms without paying extra, it’s clear why many are adamantly against the FCC’s proposal.
Some benefits exist regarding net neutrality’s removal. The FCC’s main reasoning for disbanding net neutrality laws is to promote competition between ISP’s and help the internet grow. Certain websites would have increased speeds and smaller ISP’s might become bigger. As the top ISP’s charge more, people will stop patronizing them and look elsewhere for better prices. This competition and consumer selection could give rise to more options in terms of ISP’s.
Yet, there are more disadvantages for net neutrality’s removal. ISP’s are the ones who get the most out of Chairman Pai’s plan. Certain internet companies, such as AT&T, have announced their support of the government deregulation. They could increase their prices for access to the internet and promote themselves while demoting websites they don’t like. For people who live in areas that have only one or two ISP choices, they might not have options in terms of internet providers. Therefore, consumers do not have the power to regulate the market, and a lack of government regulation would give ISP’s too much power over their dependents.
Chairman Pai’s plan to disable net neutrality will pass judgement on December 14. This plan could either save the internet from being run by a select few ISP’s or ruin it by introducing site favoritism.
While the FCC believes that they are granting us more freedom, it is only the large internet companies that can enjoy this modification. In a world dominated by internet communications and dependencies, a repeal of net neutrality laws would be devastating as it would not grant the same freedom to all.
