The Effects Of Net Neutrality On The Internet

Superior Essays
Though not very many people know what it is, Net Neutrality is on the hot seat for many users of the Internet. It is a debate that will forever change how the Internet is used, which, subsequently, will have a major impact on the lives of everyone that uses it. And the worst part is that no one knows about it. No one knows that on December 14 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is going to vote on the future of the world. This essay is not meant to persuade, but rather enlighten its readers about the effects of net neutrality, and how it can impact the lives of everyone. To start off we need to comprehend what net neutrality is. “Net neutrality is the principle that an Internet service provider (ISP) should give consumers equal access …show more content…
A network without restrictions allows all voices to be heard. As soon as one content provider is put above another, freedom of speech has been tainted (“Net Neutrality: What You,” 2017). Net neutrality provides consumers with protection (Fung, 2017). Once an ISP is allowed to throttle different websites, the line between making a website slower because they disagree with its content and making it slower because it didn’t pay to have their users be in the ‘fast lane’, becomes blurry. Who is going to tell the person in charge of throttling that they cannot do it if it’s only because they don’t agree with what their content is about? No one. Net neutrality sets up a wall that prevents companies from becoming corrupt, and every company, start-up or conglomerate, has the same abilities on the …show more content…
It allows everyone to view any legal content they want to without ISPs doing anything to them, because of what they are viewing. Like any other group of people, the users of the Internet are against being told that they cannot do something. Everyone, especially Americans, have a true desire to be free. Net neutrality protects the ‘freedom of the Internet’. If a person wants to watch both Netflix and Hulu, they can because they are free to do what they want, and they can stream both websites at the same speed. In her article, The Coming Battle Over ‘Net Neutrality’, Hannah Henderson describes it like this:
“…if the networks which form the bedrock of the Internet were a motorway, then under net neutrality, there wouldn’t be fast lanes for cars and slow lanes for lorries [trucks]. Motorists wouldn’t be able to pay to use a faster route. All data regardless of its size, is on a level playing field.” Internet service providers want to be able to make deals with content providers so, in turn, they can make more money. Of course this is not a bad thing—any business needs to make money to be successful. The people understand that, or at least they should. Where advocates for net neutrality become enraged is when the ISPs take away the fairness of the Internet. An example would be that idea of

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