There is something going on behind the scenes of the Internet that most people are not aware of. But it’s starting to pick up steam and people are waking up because if this law gets repealed, it will change the landscape of the internet as we know it. When Obama was President, his administration created the “Net Neutrality” law.
Net neutrality is basically, in laymen’s terms, a law that keeps the internet on neutral ground. Meaning that your internet service provider cannot block anything from you, regardless of what it is or where it is. Hence, “Neutral”. But if the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has it his way, this will be a thing of the past.
His reasoning behind this is that he believes that the government is micromanaging the internet. Under his new proposal he states that the new rule would, “require Internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate.”
But we can read between the lines buddy, you are NOT fooling me.
The original intent of the net neutrality law was to prevent “fast lanes”. Which is basically a company paying an ISP to give their traffic top priority, which freezes out smaller businesses or companies who cannot afford to pay.
An even playing field is the right thing to do? Right? It makes sense right? Not according to the FCC and the Republicans who are on the board who are working to repeal and replace. Sounds familiar, right? There are many layers to this and I will touch on a few of them.
So the first question you will ask is, “Well how do this affect me?”
Right now, you pay a specific amount a month for internet access at your home. You pay Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Youtube, etc. a monthly fee to access their library of content. But what if I told you that there could be an additional fee if this law is passed? Once this law is passed, this gives ISP’s free reign to do whatever they want.
Imagine the wild wild west, but on the internet. A lawless and regulation less free for all. Your ISP could say, “Do you want to watch Netflix? Well you are going to have to pay us $5.00 a month for you to access that. You want Hulu and SlingTV access too? We can bundle that for $15-$20.” Your first thoughts are going to be, “I already pay my ISP for my connection and I pay a monthly fee for access to streaming services and now I have to pay the ISP AGAIN?????”. Or maybe not. That’s the first scenario. A direct charge to the consumer.
The second scenario is the ISP’s (Verizon, Comcast, etc.) directly charging Netlfix, Apple Music, Hulu, SlingTV, Spotify to allow users to access their services. So now that 8 or 9 dollars a month you pay for Netflix balloons to 18 or 19 month (Just a guess). So indirectly, you are paying for it because membership fees will go up. So in either scenario, you as the consumer will pay for it. Capitalism right? It’s what America is all about.
But let’s go even deeper. What if I told you that your ISP could just decide to block everything you like to look at. Facebook blocked. Instagram blocked. Snapchat blocked. According to the new law, they can do that…All they have to do is tell you and they don’t have to give a reason. Because they have the right to run their network however they deem fit. How about the cord cutters? Those who use Hulu TV, Sling TV, DirectTV Now, Playstation Vue…What if Comcast or Verizon said, “nah, we’re good. If you want to watch TV you need to get cable”, and blocks all streaming TV services.
With this law, they can legally do this. And there is nothing you can do about it. But what if they tease you instead of blocking you? This gives them the right to throttle your connection which will effectively slow down your internet if they choose. Pandora’s box is opening and we will be one’s who suffers it’s wrath.
Overall, this law or rule gives all of the power to the ISP. The power to determine what you can see and what you cannot see. The power to shape your own personal internet habits in an effort to profit off of you. Long story short, this is all about monetizing you even further. They have been trying for years to truly monetize the internet. Greed is real. Greed is he reason. And greed will ruin the internet. Prepare yourselves.
For more information, head to https://www.battleforthenet.com/ to see what you can do to try and help the cause. This affects everyone, no one is exempt.
