The free and open internet we have always known is hanging in the balance this week. The Federal Communications Commission will vote to overturn a set of rules implemented in 2015 to prevent regulation of the internet. The vote will be held on December 14, and will directly influence the everyday lives of Americans through regulation of web traffic by internet service providers. In an effort to encourage lawmakers to shut down the overturn and stand up to the FCC, thousands across the country gathered in protest last Thursday night.
At the protest held near Bryant Park, hundreds gathered to protest the vote to end net neutrality. Holding signs reading “Team Internet” and “Fair internet for all,” protesters handed out flyers to passing pedestrians and chanted in support of a free internet. The protest was organized by a number of groups, including Team Internet, Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, and Free Press Action Fund. These groups are fighting to keep the web open, but because of the mystification of the term ‘net neutrality,’ many Americans are blissfully unaware of just how much is at stake.
The term net neutrality refers to the way the internet operates as we know it. According to Team Internet, it can be defined as “the principle that internet providers like Comcast and Verizon should not control what we see and do online.” They also explain that the rules that stand to be rolled back by the FCC in the upcoming vote prevent internet providers from blocking or prioritizing certain sites. As it is currently, when any individual accesses the internet, they are viewing content at pretty much the same speed as everyone else. This is what net neutrality protects. The internet is an even playing field, where internet service providers (ISPs) connect their customers to the web at the same speed. With the new regulation, however, this would not be the case. The FCC’s new rules would allow providers to treat corporate internet traffic preferentially. These rules would allow for large corporations to pay for their sites to load faster than those of their smaller counterparts, eliminating competition entirely.
To help save the free and open internet, there’s a couple things you can do. Head to Battle For The Net for help with contacting Congress, and spread the word to your friends and family to do the same. Our democracy depends on this, and we have to do everything we can to prevent the FCC from taking away our right to a deregulated web.