Now that the vote is over and we’ve all had a weekend to cry, stomp, angrily retweet, or – in rare occasions – celebrate the victory, HotMovies is here to break down what net neutrality is, what the vote actually means, and what’s next.
What Is Net Neutrality?
Net neutrality is the principle that all internet service providers, like Comcast and Verizon, should provide all of their consumers access to legal content and applications on an equal basis, without favoring or promoting some while restricting or demoting others. In February 2015, the FCC voted to classify broadband service as a public utility (think electricity and phone services), which allowed them to adopt rules like no paid prioritization, no throttling, and no blocking in order to control how internet service providers provide their services to consumers.
Those who support the classification of broadband service as a public utility claim it keeps the internet accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Without the classification, they see a way for internet service providers to charge consumers more money for a far less diverse internet. For example, theoretically, providers could begin redirecting you to websites they have partnerships with and charging you more to visit the sites they don’t. This could pretty much be World War 3 for just about everyone who enjoys online streaming of games, music, TV shows, and movies, which is probably most of us as evidenced by the fact that over 2 million people sent comments to the FCC on July 12, 2017.
Those who oppose the classification and rules claim that both are unnecessary and hinder job development as well as competitiveness. Many large groups and companies, like The Internet & Televisioin Association and AT&T, say they support an open internet, however disagree with the regulations put in place by the FCC in 2015. An argument here is that internet service providers were already committed to keeping the internet open and more importantly, were able to build powerful networks and keep prices down for consumers through investment and innovation that they claim has since been stymied by the FCC’s misguided interference.
What Does the Repeal Vote Mean?
The now Republican-led FCC voted Thursday to repeal the restrictions previously put in place in 2015 and to transfer oversight of internet protections to the Federal Trade Commission. Acting head of the FTC, Maureen K. Ohlhausen attempted to assure people that the agency is committed to holding internet service providers accountable for the promises they’ve made to the public. Since the rules preventing internet providers from blocking, slowing down speeds, and prioritizing their own content are no longer in place, going forward providers are required to publicly reveal instances of these occurrences. The FCC and FTC will then examine these instances case by case to determine whether the activity is anti-competitive. Consumer advocacy groups aren’t pleased though, arguing that the FCC and FTC will only step in to regulate when an internet provider is deceiving the public. With the way it looks now, these providers can slow or block your internet service and promote their content as long as they let you know they’re doing it. That doesn’t seem very open and fair in my opinion.
How Will You Be Affected?
First, it’s important to note that services like Netflix and Amazon (oh how I love you both so much!) are not going away. Both are billion dollar companies with huge audiences, and there’s little doubt they’ll be able to survive the regulatory changes. The problems will be more evident with small startup companies that may have to pay hefty prices in deals with internet providers in order to have their content delivered to consumers faster. Imagine if Netflix was just starting and had to pay Verizon and Comcast in order to have streaming speeds that don’t frustrate the hell out of people. For beginners, incorporating those possible price tags into the budget could be very difficult. Thinking about it this way, you can see how the future internet landscape could change fundamentally.
Customers could also see a change in how they are billed for services. Back in January 2016, T-Mobile was accused of violating net neutrality principles when they introduced their “Binge On” program, which basically made it cheaper for customers to stream videos from Netflix and HBO as opposed to other streaming services. The program allowed T-Mobile customers to stream videos from these services to their phones at a lower quality so the data didn’t count towards their monthly bills. While the consumer actually benefited from “Binge On,” T-Mobile still had to explain throttling speeds to downgrade video quality. Now, it’ll be easier for internet providers to explore services like “Binge On” more aggressively in the absence of net neutrality, and cellular phone service customers (all of us) could end up paying more for streaming services that are currently included in the monthly bill.
What Now?
Although the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality, the fight isn’t over. Congress could intervene with net neutrality legislation, or the issue could ultimately be decided by the courts. If I had to place my money on one or the other, I’d bet a lawsuit was somewhere in the future and it’ll probably play out over a few years. There’s also the possibility that individual states could move to introduce legislation that would require net neutrality. Scott Wiener, California State Senator, is already working with the ACLU and others to draft a bill, so there’s still a fight going on for both sides. Regardless of which side you currently support, we’re all going to have to sit back, work within our communities, and see how this plays out.
Follow me on Twitter @authenticlezz1 and the rest of the gang @HotMovies! Until next time…