Why The Net Neutrality FCC Ruling Must Not Be Repealed

The net neutrality FCC ruling is a critical piece of legislation, but the internet neutrality debate means that it could be repealed! A repeal of this legislation would affect all Americans who use the internet. In fact, a repeal of the law could ultimately restrict the websites that you enjoy every day.

The ruling allows you to take full control of your online experience. If net neutrality were not in place, internet service providers would be able to exert control over your internet access. In addition to restricting access to websites, there are some other things that internet service providers could do if net neutrality were repealed – such as:

• Slowing down your connection while viewing certain types of content
• Blocking applications
• Speeding up your connection while viewing certain types of content

In the United States, there has always been net neutrality. As a result, data packets have always been impartially transferred.

Small business owners are currently able to freely speak their mind online as a result of the net neutrality laws that are on the books today and these opinions are heard by anyone who is looking for them. However, a repeal of net neutrality could change this. Assuming that internet service providers favored large companies, this could lead to small business websites potentially taking longer to load.

Also, internet service providers would be free to speed up the connection to companies that they invest in. They also would be allowed to slow down the connection to businesses that compete with these companies. This would would completely put an end to an open mobile internet.

It’s even possible that internet service providers could block certain websites altogether! They even could begin charging “fees” to have blocked websites relisted. Unfortunately, some small business owners may not have the funds for these fees.

Furthermore, competition between internet service providers may not address the problem. This is because there are many parts of the country where there is only one internet service provider available!

While there are many ways that businesses benefit from net neutrality, these are some of the industries that benefit the most:

• Search Engines: Search engines are essentially responsible for determining what websites people find online. However, internet service providers could begin to take this role if net neutrality were repealed. This would make search engines somewhat less important than they are now.
• Rural Industries: Businesses in regions that are somewhat off the beaten path rely on online marketing much more than businesses located in highly populated areas. A repeal of the net neutrality FCC ruling could cause some of these businesses to fail if the websites for small businesses are blocked or the connection to them is slowed down.
• Internet service providers: ISP’s are the biggest proponents of net neutrality repeal. This is because they see changes to the law as having the potential to lead to increased profits.

Net Neutrality In Other Countries

 

Three examples of countries that have net neutrality laws are Chile, The Netherlands, and Brazil. Here’s how the laws are working out in each of these countries:

Chile

Chile instituted net neutrality by changing its General Telecommunications Law. The laws were put into effect on June 1, 2014. The new law put a stop to zero rating practices. A zero rating practice is when a company strikes a deal with mobile phone companies that allows people access basic versions of their site without paying a fee. However, people would pay a fee to have improved access to the page.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands passed a net neutrality law in 2011. This law stopped mobile phone companies from charging fees for people to visit certain sites. Unfortunately, this caused mobile phone companies to charge their customers higher monthly rates. However, advocates in the Netherlands feel that the new law is a step in the right direction.

Brazil

Brazil adopted a net neutrality law in April, 2014. The law prevents telecommunications companies from charging fees for customers to access certain online services or websites that require a large amount of bandwidth. Some examples of services that require a lot of bandwidth are online videos and movie streaming.

Their laws also place limits on the metadata that internet service providers can collect, and it requires internet service providers and websites to take steps that keep the data that they collect secure. The law even requires that companies always keep metadata secure that is stored outside of Brazil. As a result, multinational corporations would have to comply with the new law. Furthermore, it mandates that website owners remove material that contains libel or is offensive content.

Some advocates have gone as far as labeling the law the nation’s “internet constitution”. Experts have been impressed with the law.

South Korea

Internet service providers in South Korea need to have justifiable grounds for the services that they provide. Some examples of justifiable grounds include ensuring that the networks they provide are secure and stable. This law has been in effect since 2012, and it has been highly effective.

The European Union

The European Union passed a law that attempts to ban network discrimination. However, lawmakers are still trying to make the law more effective. The European Union has been trying to create effective net neutrality laws over the last several years. However, the laws that are already on the books appear to be somewhat effective at stopping network discrimination.

Other Countries

There are a number of other countries that have effective net neutrality laws:

• Canada
• Mexico
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Israel
• Japan
• The United Kingdom

The internet can look quite different in countries that lack net neutrality. One example of a country without net neutrality is Portugal, and the lack of net neutrality has had disastrous consequences. The internet in Portugal is structured in a manner that is similar to cable television in the United States. This means that you purchase a plan from your internet service provider that only includes certain websites. This practice is quite similar to zero rating.

Net Neutrality FCC Ruling and Business

 

While the list of advantages of net neutrality for business owners is endless, here are some of the most important issues that you should know about:

If net neutrality were repealed, business owners could end up paying substantial fees to access websites that are necessary for research. Net neutrality also helps to stop music and film piracy. This ensures that companies that sell films and music are able to succeed.

Net neutrality prevents businesses that use a large amount of data from being charged more for internet access. This results in substantial savings for many companies. The existence of net neutrality has made it possible for most well-known websites to get to where they are today.

The cost of many online services would go up if it weren’t for net neutrality laws. The cost would become especially high for online services that require a substantial amount of bandwidth, such as Netflix. The higher prices would drive away consumers.

In addition, net neutrality allows businesses to be more innovative online. This helps many business owners to bring in more customers.

The Effects Of Net Neutrality Laws Being Repealed

 

If net neutrality is repealed in the United States, it could affect business owners in other parts of the world. This is because the United States wouldn’t have as much leverage to stand against policies in other countries that restrict online freedom.

Many experts believe that the internet will change quickly after a repeal of net neutrality laws. This will force internet users to adapt to rapid change.

Experts believe that customers will have to choose between a “fast lane” and “slow lane” for their internet connection. The “fast lane” will offer speedy service, but it will be much more expensive. The “slow lane” will be affordable, but the speed of your connection would be severely reduced. Also, the “slow lane” will have a larger number of blocked sites.

A repeal of net neutrality could prevent individuals with a lower income from having access to information related to current events. People with higher income would be more likely to be able to purchase “fast lane” internet services that will feature a larger selection of news websites. Those with lower incomes would be more likely to get stuck with the “slow lane” that would have fewer news sites to choose from. Essentially, a repeal of this law would allow and encourage internet service providers to abuse their power.

The concerns that internet service providers could abuse their power to influence elections may not be as far-fetched as you’d think. In fact, Verizon donated more than 50 million dollars to campaigns and lobbying organizations.

If net neutrality were repealed, internet service providers could legally block websites that list the address of certain polling locations! This could severely impact voter turnout.

Internet service providers are also much more likely to create their own online streaming services that could overtake Netflix and Hulu. They could abuse their newly granted power to promote these services. Unfortunately, the quality of these video streaming services is likely to be poor.

E-commerce can be expected to change quickly if net neutrality laws are repealed. Net neutrality will give an unfair advantage to e-commerce giants, such as Amazon. This could put many small business owners out of business.

In Conclusion

 

Due to the serious implications of reduced online information freedom, net neutrality should never be repealed under any circumstances.Net neutrality laws have greatly improved free access to the internet and is working quite well in all the countries that have it. This has made democracy function better. Aside from certain major corporations, no one would really benefit from the repeal of this law. While proponents of net neutrality repeal feel that government regulation of the internet has been damaging, there is no evidence for this.

Both individuals and business owners benefit from net neutrality in many ways. In fact, net neutrality has made it possible for many entrepreneurs to start their own businesses online. The net neutrality debate isn’t much of a debate outside of government – more than 80% of the population is in support of net neutrality!

The only organizations that would seriously benefit from net neutrality repeal are internet service providers, and they have been pushing for net neutrality repeal as long as the law has been on the books.

In fact, 40 tech giants are asking people to go to a net neutrality repeal protest. If these companies suffer as a result of net neutrality protest, the landscape of the internet will change dramatically. Here are some examples of companies that are urging you to fight for net neutrality:

• Facebook
• Dropbox
• Google
• Microsoft
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Snapchat

A day of action was called. If you are concerned about the future of the internet, there are a few ways to take action. In addition to attending organized protests, you can call your local representatives. There also are websites where you can sign a petition. The FCC regulation that governs net neutrality is referred to as FCC Title II.

What do you think?

If you have any more questions about the net neutrality FCC ruling or the effects of net neutrality repeal, you can post them in the comment section below. Also, let us know what you thought of this article in the comments section. Feel free to use the comments section to share additional information as well.