The newly appointed head of the FCC, Ajit Pay, has made a proposal to reverse the Open Internet rules established in 2015. The rules, which are intended to ensure net neutrality, prevent an internet service provider (ISP) from slowing or blocking content transmitted over their lines, and from charging companies in order for them to have their traffic prioritized.

Mike Snider, of USA Today writes:

Those rules, which prevented Internet service providers (ISPs) from throttling or blocking content online, were passed by a Democrat-laden commission led by then Chairman Tom Wheeler. President Obama appointed Wheeler and supported the rules, which invoked Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 to give the FCC authority to oversee ISPs as “common carriers” and the Internet itself as a public utility. 

I agree completely with the idea that the internet should be a public utility, and I would go a step further and say it needs to be.

With net neutrality, visitors to my blog will have data transmitted to them with the same importance as someone visiting Google. Without it, Comcast could slow my blog’s traffic in order to make way for that of larger companies, or even charge those companies fees to guarantee their “fast lane.”

To me, this is wrong.

I’m fine paying Comcast for my internet access, but they shouldn’t also have control over how fast data from different sources comes in, or be able to decide which traffic is most important to me. I’m also concerned about what it could mean for smaller companies trying to make a go of it online. One of the great things about the internet is that anyone can start a business and make it available to everyone. Startups won’t have the capital to compete with the big boys, so the opportunities they currently see could quickly disappear.

But it’s not just about online businesses. The internet is a global community, and anything that potentially silences or interferes with that community should be challenged.

The ISPs already control our access to the internet and how much we pay to get there. We shouldn’t also provide them the ability to control what we use it for.

The FCC is planning a vote around May 18th, but they have a survey posted to gather feedback. You can access that survey through this link. After clicking the link, use the “Express” option to leave your opinion.

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