Internet Neutrality, usually referred to as “Net Neutrality” is a growing movement across the nation. As more people get internet, certain companies end up on the top of the corporate food chain. Companies grow and become powerful. As their grip on the internet service industry strengthens, so does their influence, and eventually, they try to change the industry greatly. Recently, companies have tried to take advantage of their power by forcing websites to pay them extra money to reach their customers, or other companies have payed extra to become prioritized on the internet. This is a violation of the Ninth Amendment because companies are taking away others’ right to free speech. By blocking certain websites, the companies are preventing websites
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In November 2014, the federal appeal court denied a bill regarding Net Neutrality, until the FCC tried the bill again in court. The current situation is where the bill has been since that November. When the FCC brought the bill to the Federal Appeals Court, the court approved it, but enforced its power to give the FCC a warning on their grip on the Internet. It also stated that the FCC could not enforce rules involving telecommunications, if they classified the Internet as an information service. On February 26th, 2015, the FCC agreed on baseline rules for Net Neutrality based on a 3-2 vote. They agreed that there was to be no blocking access to web pages, throttling bandwidth to certain websites (meaning limiting the speed of the internet to those websites), or paid prioritization (where certain websites gain priority over others because the company pays the internet provider). These three rules target the ISPs. The close vote was decided mainly on Democratic votes, and based on the trend from the beginning of the Net Neutrality war, republican members of the FCC tend to lean against Net Neutrality; FCC members Ajit Pai and Michael O’Rielly say it is an example of the government interfering with a commerce issue. As of December, 2015, a third court case regarding Net Neutrality has started, proving that the argument is still running and relevant, despite the creation of many new policies. As of yet, Net Neutrality has not made it to the Supreme Court, but at this point it is a matter of time, as the FCC continues to struggle to keep the internet
In November 2014, the federal appeal court denied a bill regarding Net Neutrality, until the FCC tried the bill again in court. The current situation is where the bill has been since that November. When the FCC brought the bill to the Federal Appeals Court, the court approved it, but enforced its power to give the FCC a warning on their grip on the Internet. It also stated that the FCC could not enforce rules involving telecommunications, if they classified the Internet as an information service. On February 26th, 2015, the FCC agreed on baseline rules for Net Neutrality based on a 3-2 vote. They agreed that there was to be no blocking access to web pages, throttling bandwidth to certain websites (meaning limiting the speed of the internet to those websites), or paid prioritization (where certain websites gain priority over others because the company pays the internet provider). These three rules target the ISPs. The close vote was decided mainly on Democratic votes, and based on the trend from the beginning of the Net Neutrality war, republican members of the FCC tend to lean against Net Neutrality; FCC members Ajit Pai and Michael O’Rielly say it is an example of the government interfering with a commerce issue. As of December, 2015, a third court case regarding Net Neutrality has started, proving that the argument is still running and relevant, despite the creation of many new policies. As of yet, Net Neutrality has not made it to the Supreme Court, but at this point it is a matter of time, as the FCC continues to struggle to keep the internet