The phrase, “net neutrality,” for those of you who have heard of it – and let’s be honest, most of us can’t seem to escape it, especially with the ensuing presidential candidate debates – is not the simplest concept. In fact, it is pretty difficult to explain without the employment of metaphors. Net neutrality refers to the internet and how Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, can control consumer usage and traffic. The neutrality aspect is derived from the principle that ISPs should not dictate the flow of traffic across the network – they should keep it open and not block or slow down any websites or content. The current state of affairs is exactly that – equal speeds and access for everyone. Scintillating, right? Well, regardless of its humdrum appeal, net neutrality is actually quite vital to our daily lives – and I’m going to explain why you should care about this issue.
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It is in the process of creating rules to enable ISPs to treat internet users differently. Let’s think of it like a highway – there would be a fast lane for the handful of corporations that could afford their “tolls,” but a slow lane for everyone else. This preferential treatment to the wealthier clients would fabricate an unequal competitive playing field – smaller businesses and startups would have great difficulty escaping the slow lane, while high-paying corporations such as Amazon, Google, and eBay would monopolize the internet. Aside from us everyday internet users, there are three main stakeholders within this issue: the FCC as the regulator, content producers such as Netflix, Facebook, Google, or anyone that owns/manages websites, and carriers such as local and national ISPs (national meaning Sprint or
It is in the process of creating rules to enable ISPs to treat internet users differently. Let’s think of it like a highway – there would be a fast lane for the handful of corporations that could afford their “tolls,” but a slow lane for everyone else. This preferential treatment to the wealthier clients would fabricate an unequal competitive playing field – smaller businesses and startups would have great difficulty escaping the slow lane, while high-paying corporations such as Amazon, Google, and eBay would monopolize the internet. Aside from us everyday internet users, there are three main stakeholders within this issue: the FCC as the regulator, content producers such as Netflix, Facebook, Google, or anyone that owns/manages websites, and carriers such as local and national ISPs (national meaning Sprint or