Net Neutrality: Pros, Cons and the Future

    Net Neutrality is one of the most fundamental principals of having a free and open internet. So, let's first start out by what is Net Neutrality? Net Neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applicants regardless of the source, and without favoring particular products or websites. This term was coined by Columbia law professor Tim Wu in 2003. Basically in simpler words, it's free and open internet where people can access public information freely. It's very important to have open and free internet because it leads to competition and enables investments and innovation. Also, consumers make their own choices and the services they want to use. Recently though we are in danger of loosing the free internet because of cable companies who want to monopolize it and make more money off it.

    So who is in favor of Net Neutrality? The big companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Ebay, Microsoft, Vonage and Skype are all fighting hard to keep the internet open and free. So essentially, it's anyone and any business not involved with the cable companies. If Net Neutrality was to vanish, then the open internet as we know it will cease to exist. There would be no competition and Cable/Phone companies will win the ability to charge internet content providers and individuals and extra fee for delivering content. Cable companies can actually slow down, degrade or even block the content of any website that does not pay it's fees. That means that small business and innovators that rely on the internet to reach consumers could be priced out of the marketplace entirely. That is why people and corporations that are for net neutrality are fighting very hard to keep the internet open and free.

    So who is against Net Neutrality? Basically, all the major cable and telephone companies who provide 94% of the broadband internet access. They are spending millions of dollars lobbying congress to eliminate net neutrality. For example, Comcast had already spent 14.5 million dollars in lobbying last year. The only other company that has spent more money in lobbying is defense contractor Northrop Grumman. These cable companies have Washington in the back of their pockets to an almost unbelievable degree. They want a closed internet where the carrier of service providers has control over applicants,content and the media.

   The FCC, which stands for  Federal Communications Commission, is an independent agency of the U.S that regulates Internet, TV, Radio, and Cable in all 50 states. They are doing the best they can to keep the internet free, but the pressure of lobbying is catching up to them. The bad thing is President Obama, recently hired Tom Wheeler to be the chairman of the FCC. He was a former lobbyist for the cable companies, and now is in charge of the FCC. That is a very bad decision because it makes it more clear that having a closed internet is coming soon. However, Mr. Wheeler stated that "What I want is what you want, an open internet that does not affect your business" (Fung). It's still very early to tell though in which direction the FCC might go, but for everyone sake, I hope the keep the internet free and open.

   In conclusion, net neutrality is a very difficult and complex issue to understand. You have a lot of companies for and against net neutrality. I think in my opinion, it's very important to keep the internet free and open because it allows for more innovation and discretion. People are free to look up what they want, and not limited. If cable companies were to take over, then it would be a money game, and if you do not pay the fee that they charge, then you might get blocked out. The internet needs to stay open and free, as that would benefit a lot of people, and recently more than 5 million open letters were written to the FCC, asking for an open internet. I think people pay enough for internet as it is, and if the cable companies were to take over, it would get even worse. In the end, I feel the people should decide whether to have a free internet and not the cable companies.

                                                        Reference:

   1. Fung, Brian. "Obama’s call for an open Internet puts him at odds with regulators." The Washington Post. N.p., 11 Nov 2014. Web. 11 Dec 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/11/11/the-fcc-weighs-breaking-with-obama-over-the-future-of-the-internet/>.