Losing Net Neutrality: Paying To Play for Internet Traffic

In early May, the Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal against net neutrality. For the past four months, this piece of legislation has had its rules and regulations shaped by the voices of large communications corporations – such as Comcast and Time Warner.

The proposal, a revision of an earlier proposition that was created by a communication corporation and rejected by U.S. regulators, may disband the neutrality of the web and allow for Internet service providers to charge companies for faster information delivery towards their respective websites. The proposal would also ban service providers from slowing down or blocking information lanes to websites who choose not to pay extra.

Have we lost you yet? The subject isn't the most attention grabbing and hasn't received much media coverage. So, in what has become a weekly tradition, John Oliver on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, tackled the topic in a lengthy – but oh, so worth watching every single second – segment that will have you rolling in laughter, while learning everything you need to know on the subject.

Check it out:
 


And while we can't say it as well – and humorously – as John Oliver, here's a bit more detail.


Small businesses suffer
The controversial debate against net neutrality – a free and open Internet vs. an Internet moderated by service-provider gatekeepers – focuses specifically on creating faster lanes for companies who “pay to play.” Consumer advocate groups and corporations such as Apple and Google have significantly protested this legislation in recent months after the FCC began serious considerations. Under the new proposal, a small business that may not be able to afford fast-lane Internet service will suffer, as traffic will be driven towards larger sites that load quickly and the slower lanes will be allowed to go under.

Freedom of speech issue
One of the biggest complaints from consumer advocates towards the proposal of disbanding net neutrality has been the issue of freedom of speech. In the past, the Internet has been a world marketplace for small businesses, start-ups, blossoming musicians and blog posts. Currently, this blog travels just as quickly as The New York Times. Could the loss of net neutrality dampen the innovation and creativity of Internet content – not to mention the prosperity of small businesses online?

According to the March 27, 2014 testimony by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler before a Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing and as cited in a Reuters article, Internet freedom is a top priority as this proposal progresses. Wheeler notably stated that he “will not allow the national asset of an open Internet to be compromised. The prospect of a gatekeeper choosing winners and losers on the Internet is unacceptable."

Contact your legislators
Dealers, we encourage you to pay careful attention to this proposal and how – if enacted – it will affect your ability to conduct business and contact your legislators to tell them what you think.

Want to follow John Oliver's recommendation and give the FCC a piece of your mind? First read this handy how-to guide. Then go here for the FCC's public comment forum.

Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/15/us-usa-internet-neutrality-idUSBREA4C0SF20140515