Hello, Titans!

On December 14th, the FCC is going to vote on a proposal passed by chairman Ajit Pai. Pai’s proposal is one that would destroy Net Neutrality. The proposal was voted on back in May and received the clearance to move forward to where it is now. In 2015 activists pushed for the Net Neutrality program we have in place today – those activists gave us the open internet.

What is Net Neutrality? Net Neutrality is basically what allows you to access the internet without interference from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Commonly referred to as the open internet – what we live in currently – is the internet with Net Neutrality. Without Net Neutrality ISPs would be able to regulate what we see and what we don’t see. For example, should Pai’s proposal pass, Comcast could regulate you and limit you to only seeing MSNBC (Comcast’s sister company) for news. That means The Washington Post, CNN, The Huffington Post and all those other news sources you enjoyed reading could be blocked by your ISP should they choose.

Another concern many people have is the impact that loss of Net Neutrality could have on marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community, people of color, indigenous peoples and various other groups. Many people fear that these groups, should your ISP choose, will have their content blocked. These groups use the open internet to organize events and protests and get their message out. These may all be gone if Pai’s proposal passes.

Some argue that the loss of Net Neutrality is a positive thing. The loss of Net Neutrality would allow ISPs to open up ‘fast lanes’. What these would basically do is allow a certain type of data to flow faster between points A and B. For example, should AT&T open up a certain type of fast lane, they could allow the data for medicine and scans to flow faster to their recipients and back, thus allowing for a faster return on results from your doctor as well as other areas.

We could lose Net Neutrality. We’ve had it for years now, and we all live by the open internet.

Works Cited

Press, Free. “Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Now.” Free Press, www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now.