Not to start the semester off with a doom and gloom post, but this is of major importance and everyone should be aware. Recently, the federal court of appeals struck down net neutrality. I saw very little news about this outside of tech circles, but it is something that affects every single one of us, and is the darkest day the Internet has had yet to face.
You see, the Internet first came on line way back in 1968, and up until January 14th every bit that traveled across that network was considered equal, and the FCC recently qualified policy stating as much - you can read the almost 200-page document here (.pdf). You want to watch Netflix? Learn how to determine the gender of a tarantula? Find out if moving to Denmark would be wise? See how much Nikes cost on Amazon? Get a list of quotes for Monty Python movies? Or any other infinite number of things you can do online? You could - It was all treated equally, and that's what net neutrality represents.
But no more.
Verizon was not pleased with the FCC making these policies and challenged them in court stating they had no right to make those policies, and Verizon won. Now, private companies, with Verizon taking the lead, have control over how those bits flow to your device. Say, for example, that Comcast, who has a stake in Hulu, decided they wanted people to use Hulu and not Netflix. They are now allowed to throttle or restrict your access to Netflix making it nigh unwatchable. That high-speed Internet connection you pay for? It's only as good as the content your provider wants you to see. Or if the provider decides they don't want you seeing anything *at all* as regards certain content, they can block it altogether. Or, for a less doomsday and more reality-based approach, they could demand higher fees from services like Netflix, which will then, of course, pass those costs on to you. And there is no recourse now.
Ahh, the good old days.
The Internet is no longer the equal exchange of ideas. The flow of information is now governed by the companies (some are saying this works in favor of the FCC, by the way).
I personally would like to see it go to the Supreme Court and I suspect it will. I was surprised it happened, and to be fair these companies, at least in the near term, would be very short-sighted to start heavy-handing content because of the backlash they know they would get. But everyone in the tech industry went crazy about it, unfortunately no one else seemed to care. But they might, once the content providers start flexing their muscle.
I would like to see this go to the Supreme Court as well. Reading this article reminds me about how much companies pay to have their commercials aired during the Super Bowl. Companies should not be able to restrict someone’s access to certain website or even charge a higher price to the companies who want to be viewed with the high-speed Internet connection. With having the Internet, one should be able to search anything they want and with companies regulating what I can and cannot view on my service is wrong. Verizon is a company that advertises all the time how much coverage they have over the United Sates so it does not surprise me that they are leading the group of private companies. The private companies are just trying to make as much money as possible and being able to demand higher fees for popular companies to use their connections is a great way to make money. I agree with you when you stated that the private companies know that they are going to get backlash for heavy-handing content. Customers are going to be mad at them because they know that the only reason Netflix or whatever company raised their rates is because the private companies are charging more. This is defiantly something that I want to keep up on and see how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteFrom, Stephanie Theobald
This should go to the Supreme Court. One thing I did like, is that the source article states "leaving open the possibility for the commission to rewrite its rules within a new legal framework." I would like to see them take advantage of this opportunity, and re-write the rules to represent something fair. I am a supporter of net neutrality. The one thing that the providers did say in statements from the source article, is that they have no immediate plans to impact service in terms of controlling content (yet). Time will tell, and I know people will uproar once they start "flexing their muscles" as you stated.
ReplyDeleteI hope it does go the Supreme Court. If we allow large companies like Verizon to challenge policies because they do not want certain restriction, other large companies will follow. I definitely do not want a company to dictate what program or application to use on the internet. Also, how is this going to affect smaller companies that are just starting out? If larger companies starting restricting them, how are they to succeed in the business industry? Whoever the judge was that decided in favor of Verizon obviously did not truly comprehend the impact his decision would have on the net neutrality.
ReplyDeleteI am going to take a moment and go to the other side. I think net neutrality should end. I think it was good that we were allowed to run free and have it, but people have shown they will take advantage if they can. The internet as we know today has been running wild and for the most part free. In the American age of capitalism “nothing is free”. Americans will find a way to pay for everything. Today’s browsing is out of control with porn sites for things that should not. Ex: www.whitehouse.com is not really the site for the presidents home. It is porn. We have allowed it for net neutrality. I don’t agree with all the article states, but there should be some sort of regulations or guidelines. I would like to see a study that supports the benefits for net neutrality. People in America do not like to be told to follow rules.
ReplyDeleteI instantly feel that I should have the freedom to look at whatever I want to on the internet. I do not think that they should have the right to place restrictions on that. However, if you take a good look at society, the internet is also contributing to so many of the horrific things happening in the world today. You can go on the internet and learn how to make a bomb. But how do you begin to control and restrict that? Many sites that are intended for adults can be viewed by kids. I definitely think that kids are exposed to way too much. Social media is not safe for our kids. When I take a good look at it I support restrictions. I do not think that it should be companies like Verizon that get to manipulate us.
ReplyDeleteWow! This new policy sucks! I am very saddened to hear that carriers can control the content of what they will allow us to see, or charge us more if we demand to see said content. Aren’t they making enough money already? I too would like to see this go to the Supreme Court. I definitely care, and think it is ridiculous. Thank you for enlightening me on this subject matter!
ReplyDeleteThis is so beyond ridiculous that it hurts me inside to even think about it. This is scary if you really think about what they are going to be able to do with this power. I'm actually speechless...
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about this the more it really pisses me off to be honest. I pay for the internet service I have! How can they tell me what I can and cannot look at? Cox, Verizon, and every other company, is going to make the companies like Netflix and Hulu pay money to have better streaming on their service which is complete asinine.
I seriously hope this goes to the Supreme Court and gets overturned. EVERY BIT NEEDS TO BE TREADTED EQUAL!!
I cant believe this is the first time that I'm hearing about this. This doesn't sound legal. Now a days we see all the media hype of ongoing political issues, and celebrity issues, but this type of news doesn't seem to get broadcasted very often. I cant believe they are able to have such control over something that should be easily accessible for all to use.
ReplyDeleteI as a consumer should have the right to watch and download what I want, and not be stopped by our providers. I hope they do go to the Supreme Court with this issue, I think it is part of our freedom to seek equality.