Net neutrality allows free speech to exist, and it is time to stop the repeal of this bill. This bill affects people from all backgrounds and allows the internet to be free for all. A big part of the net neutrality bill is that it forces companies to give equal internet speeds and that losing net neutrality will be the loss of free speech. The net neutrality bill may seem very relevant, but many do not know what it is and how its complete repeal will play a large role in lives, that is why this essay discusses the three main factors of net neutrality: what the net neutrality bill does and what is the debate all about, what will happen if the repeal of net neutrality completely goes through and why we should stop the repeal of the bill, and what can be done to stop the repeal of net neutrality. Net neutrality is the right of the people and should not be repealed.
Net neutrality, what is it and what role does it play in people’s lives? Net neutrality was a law created by the Democratic party and was put in place late 2015. This bill forces big internet service providers, like Verizon and AT&T, to provide equal internet speeds for all websites, no matter how much the customer pays, or how much the company pays for better website speeds. For example, after the repeal, Netflix entered agreements with big ISP’s to increase the speed of their services over other companies. Agreements like these are why the repeal of net neutrality should be stopped, and the biggest reason why the repeal net neutrality repeal continues is Ajit Pai.
The repeal of this bill was very complicated, and it all started in 2017. This net neutrality repeal began by Ajit Pai, the leader of the head chair member of the FCC, taking initiative and disusing the repeal with the FCC. During this repeal, Ajit Pai stated that the FCC’s new rules will be a, “light-touch regulatory framework” and the FCC’s goals will force internet service providers to no longer be a utility. What Ajit Pai means by “light-touch regulatory framework” is that the government will be forced to be less involved with controlling internet service providers and the price for their services. Rebecca Ruiz, a writer of the New York Times, confirmed this by stating that, " placed broadband providers — Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and others that provide high-speed internet service — into the same legal category as telephone companies, requiring them to provide equal access and internet speeds to all websites and applications.” The FCC has been discussed about multiple times and it plays a significant role in the repeal.
The FCC is known as the federal communications commission and it is a company that controls national communication networks, like radio, television, and cable. This is the group that started the repeal of net neutrality. This organization is overseen by five commissioners, and each commissioner is selected by the president. One of the head commissioners of this board, Ajit Pai, lead the repeal of the net neutrality bill, and the repeal was officially done in December. As stated, “The FCC voted Dec. 14, 2017, again on a 3-2 party-line vote, to rescind the 2015 net neutrality regulations.” According to fight for the future. Big organizations like this help control the internet and have repealed many bills like net neutrality.
“Like the air that we breathe [the internet] belongs to the people. Therefore, the people’s interest must be protected” according to Republican representative of Georgia, Hank Johnson. Net Neutrality, a bill that allows the internet to be equal for all is now being repealed by the FCC. A huge part of the repeal is big companies taking over and affecting people from all backgrounds. For example, when big companies pay more for better services, smaller companies and family businesses that cannot afford such expense will suffer because of their lack of internet speeds. Poor neighborhoods not able to afford such internet speeds, and they are another group that will suffer from the repeal of net neutrality. For example, Heather West, a senior policy manager of Mozilla stated, “will have an outsized impact on rural and poor communities because these are the communities that don't have choices for how they access the internet.”
With this bill repealed, many companies will take advantage of this and raise the price of internet speeds unnecessarily. One big company that has already taken advantage of this repeal is Netflix; they have already made deals with big ISPs to provide faster internet speeds and are fighting against these claims. They are doing this by trying to stray away from the issue and pushing to stop the discussions of this issue. For example, According to Dieter Bohn, a writer of the Verge, “Netflix CEO says net neutrality is ‘not our primary battle.’”
Many people are strong supporters of the repeal, like Ajit Pai, and have counter-arguments. For example, ISPs will have a more stable income allowing them to be more innovative with their internet speeds. A big part of this is 5-G internet, this is stated because, with a stable income, big ISP’s will be set to release 5-G internet next year. A common counter to this argument is that the companies already make enough money and should be working on it either way. Also, releasing 5-G internet will make ISPs more money and will cause them to get more customers.
A second-counter argument to stop the repeal of net neutrality is that the repeal will allow all illegal activity on the internet to be controlled and regulated. These people say that the internet is a very open and unregulated place where illegal activity is very relevant. This is a very common argument, but it is not right because FCC should already be regulating the internet, and they are.
One last counter-argument is that repealing net neutrality will make big companies to be upfront with their business. For example, businesses like Facebook and Google will be forced to show how they give ads and show content. This is another common argument, but a great counter-argument to this is that companies are already forced to be upfront. Also, that one should always read the terms of agreement, or at least discuss them with another. A big part of this is that companies are not wishfully being upfront the media is exposing them. With more exposed, the people will know what bigger companies are up to, and net neutrality will not have to be repealed.
Net neutrality may have been repealed in 2017, but there is still a chance to stop the repeal. There are many things that can be done to stop this repeal. Beginning with the CRA, this act is known as the congressional review act, and it allows the newer bills to be taken down. This bill can also be used to stop the repeal of net neutrality. There are tons of supporters for this and there are many methods to stop the repeal.
Another method that can be used is mailing your local congressman and tell them what one believes about stopping the repeal of net neutrality. One source that helps people contact local congressman is battleforthenet.com. This website gives people the ability to contact the congressman by email and social media. This website also shows a map where people can see some events they can attend.
There have been many methods of protest that worked and are very effective. For example, at a Verizon in New York, a rally was started, and it had a major effect on a bill created in New York. This bill banned the throttling of the internet, this was so effective that California followed in their footstep and is replicating that bill.
Net Neutrality is freedom for the internet and the repeal this of this bill will not allow the freedom of speech to exist. This bill impacts people from all backgrounds, and its repeal will force people to receive unequal internet speeds. Stopping these types of bills are very important because they strip freedom from all people and do not allow them to have equal rights. That is why people should get together to stop the repeal of net neutrality.
Works Cited
Lemons, Jane Fullerton. "The Fight Over Net Neutrality." CQ Researcher, 16 Mar. 2018, pp. 245-68, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2018031600.