Last week, the Trump administration ended the concept of net neutrality and effectively killed the internet!
Technology
In an ongoing quest to erase any and everything Barack Obama ever created, Donald Trump decided that Mr. Obama’s net neutrality law from 2015 should no longer exist. So, he directed FCC chairman Ajit Pai to kill it, which he did. Pai said the 2015 rules “depress investment and innovation” so neutrality was rolled back by a vote of 3 to 2.
In case you’re unaware, net neutrality has made the internet equal for all. Internet speeds have been the same no matter what website or web service you used, and Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) have not been allowed to speed up or slow down certain sites based on their particular whims — until now.
Under the new rules, if you’re one of the millions of Americans who decided to “cut the cord” and drop your cable service but keep your internet service, your cable company now has the authority to “penalize” you by slowing down your internet service and making sites like Netflix and Hulu unbearably slow to watch. Internet providers have also been itching to establish “fast lanes” and “slow lanes” on the internet. The slow lanes would be free (and about as fast as using dial-up internet from the 1980’s), while the fast lanes would operate at blazingly high speeds and cost a premium for the privilege.
In case you’re unclear, this entire change to net neutrality is all about the almighty dollar. Internet companies have grown tired of giving every Tom, Dick, and Harry the same speeds for the same dollar. They’ve also grown tired of losing money and customers while we all switch to more a la carte type cable services such as Sling TV and YouTube. These companies would much rather keep customers locked into old cable/internet packages from 2 decades ago with 500 channels (495 of which you never watch) while charging an arm and a leg for everything in the process.
So, what does the death of net neutrality mean for you in the short-term? Subscribing to internet only could soon pose a problem for you and cost extra. Additionally, personal websites (such as for a small business), porn sites, and others could run excessively slow (unless they pay to operate in the “fast lane”). Further, internet providers may soon contact you with change options for your bill, asking if you’d like to continue what you’re paying now (for slow internet), or pay extra for a faster internet.
Oh, it’s nickel and diming at its finest and exactly what the airlines are doing. Pull back or totally take away services that have long been complimentary, then charge absorbent prices for what was once included. Critics say broadband firms will now be able to extort higher fees and limit access for new startups.
Technology
The Pai proposal “will lead to a dramatic transformation of how the internet works,” said Sarah Morris, who heads the New America Foundation’s Open Policy Institute. “Internet service providers as gatekeepers have a lot of incentives to engage in shenanigans. The threats to our ability to navigate the internet and go to every corner of it are at risk” she continued.
“If they are allowed to build superfast lanes, they would cease to invest in the other lanes. It means everybody else is going to be left on the equivalent of dirt roads,” added Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
However, not everyone intends to accept Trump’s murder of the internet and give up without a fight.
US Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Brian Schatz of Hawaii are leading more than a dozen senators to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution aimed at undoing the FCC’s actions and fully restoring net neutrality rules. Additionally, Democratic Senate leader Charles Schumer of New York signed on to the effort Friday. while Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania’s 14th District is leading a similar legislative path in the House.
Should net neutrality continue to exist and assure an equal internet experience for all? Or should internet providers be allowed to railroad everyone into their own pricing structures, while pushing out anyone who doesn’t subscribe to premium services?
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Thanks DJ, for providing detailed information about all this. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure how I (along with all internet users) would be impacted by this action. But I did know this – if Trump is for it, it’s a rotten deal.
And I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the lawsuits.