Limitless Restriction: Why Net Neutrality Matters

It’s all over the news. Talk show hosts, journalists, and techies are all talking about it — net neutrality. Here’s a clear-cut definition of what net neutrality is: “Network neutrality is the idea that Internet Service Providers should not slow down, speed up, or block data as it is routed from its content originator to end users.”[1] As of June 11, 2018, net neutrality has been repealed.[2] So what does that mean for you? The end of net neutrality sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our country — inherently increasing the amount of power that telecommunications companies have, and reducing the amount of influence that consumers have of the “free and open” internet.[3]

Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commision (FCC) — which made the decision to repeal net neutrality — claims that this change will give “Broadband providers [more] incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”[4] Allowing the big three telecommunications companies (AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast) to exert influence on the internet through typical business practices would hurt the growth of the industry. You may think that they’ll upgrade infrastructure, while in reality we are more likely to see businesses continue to use standard business practices — a top rule of which is putting cash into CEO’s pockets.

The splash repeal of net neutrality has created very few ripples — yet these inevitable consequences cannot be ignored. Currently, all websites are on the same level ground; able to be reached at the fastest speed possible. In the future, ISPs may decide to throttle data or block access to competing websites altogether — possibly charging a premium (read: more money) for access to certain websites, as seen in Portugal where net neutrality does not exist.[5]

Personally, I hate the thought of data throttling — and having been a member of Verizon’s grandfathered unlimited data plan (gUDP) for eleven years has given me the freedom to not worry about being limited after reaching a certain amount of data usage.[6] This idea of data throttling is very similar to the repeal of net neutrality, both of which take away freedom from consumers and give service providers the power to restrict usage. Limiting consumer influence and placing this authority with ISPs is just another way for the people in control to earn more money. With no limit to the restrictions being put on consumers, where will it end?

Confirmation bias already influences our thoughts and actions.[7] This is exacerbated by social media sites like Facebook, which prioritize content based on your tracked interactions with the website.[8] We’ve been trained, unknowingly, into a bubble of our own ideas that doesn’t allow for new or differing ideas to our own — and with the repeal of net neutrality, we’re giving ISPs another way to keep us in that bubble. To restrict what we see. Living a life in which one only solidifies their own ideas and ignores ideas that don’t align with their own greatly suppresses both growth and change.

We cannot allow content and service providers to pave the road to uncontrollable power. The repeal of net neutrality is a catastrophe, yet it marks just the beginning step in an endless timeline of consumer restriction. Net neutrality is a good thing. Let’s fix this, before it’s too late.