Layman’s Terms Guide To Net Neutrality
If you’ve been living under a rock, you may not have heard about this whole Net Neutrality thing that has been on the news and constantly debated in politics. Big companies like Comcast and Verizon want it done away with, while companies like Google and Netflix want it upheld. The problem is that the majority of people that aren’t especially technologically savvy have no idea what it is, and they base their choice on politicians who have absolutely no idea what it is, but label it negatively to distract the point:
That statement by Senator Ted Cruz — agree with him politically or not — is flat-out wrong and incomprehensible. So, if you’re still wondering what Net Neutrality is, I will explain it to you so that you will understand it and why it’s so important that it’s upheld.
WHAT IS NET NEUTRALITY?
Net Neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.
Basically, it’s equality on the internet. This means that websites like this one or Netflix won’t have to pay more money for people to stream or access content. All content on the internet is treated equally and no other sites get preferential treatment. Sound acceptable? That’s because it is.
John Oliver explains it in hilarious detail, but also explains it to make you understand it better:
Last year, it was uncovered that Verizon and Comcast had throttled (the intentional slowing of internet service by an Internet service provider) its internet to run slower for Netflix customers, that’s an example of a breach of Net Neutrality. Comcast, which owns NBC, made Netflix pay more money to get back up to the same speeds again.
The deal will also transform the debate over network neutrality regulation. Officially, Comcast’s deal with Netflix is about interconnection, not traffic discrimination. But it’s hard to see a practical difference between this deal and the kind of tiered access that network neutrality advocates have long feared. Network neutrality advocates are going to have to go back to the drawing board. (Via Washington Post)
This shouldn’t of been allowed to happen, but it did. Net Neutrality is the idea that all internet service providers should treat internet traffic and data equally, not strong arm companies until they have no other option. Take a look at the graph below from Netflix. Look at both Comcast and Verizon. More noticeably, look at Comcast’s line and try to guess when Netflix paid them to stop the intentional slowing of their streaming.
WHAT ARE FAST LANES?
If you’ve heard about the proposed Internet fast lanes, well, this is where it makes it difficult. Imagine a fast lane on a road that is restricted only to those who can afford to pay to drive on it, while all the other lanes and congested and harder to navigate towards. Now apply that to internet traffic. You may ask, “Well, if they can afford to pay, why shouldn’t they be able to?” Because it screwed over those that simply can’t, and it can potentially keep other people from even merging onto the information superhighway.
On May 14th, 2014, the FCC drafted a Net Neutrality proposal that would prohibit ISP’s from throttling internet traffic, but it didn’t really go in-depth into fast lanes. Fast lanes would be where you could pay more money to have your site run faster than other sites, but that would in turn make other sites go slower.
Most ISP’s are opposed to Net Neutrality because they can charge more money for the same service. Sure, the big websites with a core group that goes to them like Netflix can afford the fees can pay it, but up and coming places can’t. It makes it harder to start a business when no one can access your content because it’s so slow.
WHAT WOULD I LOSE IF NET NEUTRALITY IS COMPROMISED?
Freedom of the press. If you wanted to go to your favorite source of news, your ISP can block or limit your accessibility to it. For example, in this article I gave an opinion about Comcast and how they throttled internet for Netflix. I said it was wrong of them to do so, which it was. They could see that, and with the absence of Net Neutrality, they could make this story barely accessible. Think of loading a picture on a 28.8k modem kind of slow.
The freedom of association. Do you like using a particular service to make video calls or chat with your friends? Well, your ISP just signed a deal with another service, so the service you like may no longer work. Sound impossible? Well, in 2009…
AT&T has reportedly restricted the use of the Skype iPhone application from being used on the carrier’s 3G network. The move would keep Skype for iPhone relegated to WiFi hotspots. The UK’s O2 has likewise restricted the use of Skype’s mobile application to WiFi hotspots. T-Mobile Germany, on the other hand has taken things a bit further and banned Skype from their network altogether. (Via Infomobile)
They eventually relented and allowed it after consumer outcry, but it’s just an example of what an ISP can do to restrict your freedom to talk to friends because they want you to use their products exclusively.
The freedom of choice. What are some of your favorite places to shop online? Amazon? Say you have Cox Cable, but Cox Cable didn’t sign an agreement with Amazon, but another ISP did. So Amazon will run so slow that you will eventually abandon it and you’ll look for a list of sites that Cox signed deals with so you can shop faster.
Do you like using your Microsoft Outlook for e-mail? Well, if your ISP decided to sign a deal with Yahoo!, your old email will run a lot slower to the point that you switch over to Yahoo! because the connection is faster, and Outlook is intentionally throttled.
If Net Neutrality goes down, you will start seeing things like this:
One thing that needs to change about internet providers is that there needs to be more competition. Think about where you live. You probably only have access to a few providers. There needs to be more Internet service providers for more competition. That’s probably why our Internet is so slow and we pay so much.
“Maybe it’s because of their lack of competition that they get away with providing such shitty service. We pay more for our internet service than almost anybody else on Earth, and yet, the download speeds we get lag behind Estonia. ESTONIA! A country where, from the looks of it, they still worry about Shrek attacks!” – John Oliver.
Thankfully, on February 26th, 2015, the FCC approved rules that will require Internet service providers to treat all web content equally. This doesn’t mean that this is all said and done. The ISP’s will lobby hard to stop Net Neutrality. As long as companies throw money at politicians to change the law, the politicians will keep fighting a battle that they aren’t really sure it’s about — like Ted Cruz.
UPDATE as of 11/22/2017: The FCC, under President Trump, is looking to strip the Net Neutrality protections. This could mean the end of the internet as we know it. Call your representatives to help put a stop to this mindless corruption: gofccyourself.com or call @AjitPaiFCC at 202-418-1000 and tell him NO on destroying #NetNeutrality.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.