The FCC is going to end net neutrality. They will vote to do that on December 14th. What will that do to the Internet? It will mean ISPs (Internet Service Providers) such as Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon; will be free to behave badly.
SigAlert: Slow Traffic Ahead
Think of the Internet as an enormous freeway and the vehicles as information that travels on it. Without neutrality, ISPs can create lanes for the vehicles — fast lanes and slow ones. Big companies that cough up more money get to have their website travel in the fast lane. Smaller firms, that can’t afford to pay up, get relegated to the slow lane. A site doesn’t have to be slowed down much to cause the kind of frustration that makes potential customers shop somewhere else.
It gets worse. ISPs could give preferential treatment to a service or content provider they own or profit from and block those they don’t. Or they could charge an arm and a leg to rivals who will then charge an arm, a leg, and a shoulder to the consumer. ISPs would be free to block the content of sites they disagree with politically.
ISPs would likely start “selling” the Internet as package deals like cable. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram could be part of the “Social Media Package.” You want YouTube too? Well, you need the “Entertainment Package” for that. If you pay for the “News Package,” you might get The Washington Times but The Washington Post could be blocked. Fox could be blocked in favor of CNN. You’ll be paying more for fewer options.
Many experts predict that the price of Internet advertising will go up and there’s that upload hitch. Your ad might not load quickly or at all. It’s a waste for those not paying for quality bandwidth, those who have ads on a website that’s been turned into a sloth, or blocked entirely.
Time To Panic?
It’s not a pretty picture, but it’s not time to panic either. Lawsuits. There will be a flurry. Companies like Google or Netflix, tech and trade firms, and a plethora of plaintiffs will turn to the courts. Many legal experts believe there could be a preliminary injunction, putting the changes, at least temporarily, on hold. Those seeking a stay will have to demonstrate imminent and irreparable injury. With that in mind, it isn’t likely ISPs would immediately take advantage of the deregulation in ways that would illuminate the petitioner’s argument. In other words, they won’t immediately behave badly and prove a stay is needed.
Government rules and regulations are often a never-ending process. This isn’t necessarily the end of net neutrality. It’s more likely the beginning of the argument.