By GREG GIORDANO
The Internet began as a way to send information from one person’s computer to another. The concept of Net Neutrality offers an equal pipeline of sending that information out to the users of the Internet. A recent proposal before the Federal Communications Commission would disrupt net neutrality and affect your access to the Web.
Under the proposal, Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, would be able to charge consumers for what they use the Internet for as opposed to the period of time that you use the Internet. Fans of streaming TV shows on Netflix, funny clips on YouTube, and music on Pandora, this affects you.
If ISPs get their way, a change to net neutrality could slow down your Internet access and block content if a user cannot pay for it. This new proposal would vastly change the user’s experience browsing the Web. Web sites will be charged more for using up data and extra charges could be passed on to users.
As of this month some of the big ISPs, like Verizon and Comcast, are grappling with how to change access to the Internet, according to the ACLU.org.
Up to now, the Web has been neutral, or accessible to all with a connection. The Internet doesn’t pick favorites. The routers, physical cables, switches, servers and software that run the Internet treat every bite of data the same.
In a January 2014 ruling the US court of appeals in the District of Columbia said that the rules that have been in place for years are no longer valid. ISPs can give better quality access to the highest paying Websites, so their connections run smoother than others. For consumers, the ruling could usher in an era of tiered Internet service, in which they access content at various levels of speed.
This could put a halt to any type of new Web sites trying to elbow their way into the Internet because they may simply not have enough money to keep up with the ‘big boys.’ This will cease creativity in our Web-based world, as no one will be able to compete with mega-success Web sites, or their wallets.
If the FCC allows ISPs to charge extra money for better quality access, the playing field of free speech is no longer equal. Those with the money to pay for special treatment could broadcast their opinions more easily than their opponents. Those without as many resources could be relegated to the Internet slow lane.
Recently, the FCC opened a public forum to discuss Net Neutrality. More than 3.7 million Americans have defended of net neutrality, with less than one percent opposed to it, according to a report from NPR.org.
The FCC is in the process of hearing both sides of the issue and will likely have a firm decision on the matter by the end of the year.