This past Wednesday the Federal Communcations Commision announced plans to allow internet service providers to charge customers more money to obtain better connection speeds and better access to certain online services. This new policy is a reversal from the previous position that the FCC held, which determined that all internet traffic should be treated the same. These new guidelines come just three months after a Federal Appeals Court struck down these rules, which many regard as a way to keep the internet fair for smaller businesses, allowing for new companies to come and innovate in a fair playing field against bigger and more affluent companies that grew to their current market position in an environment where they could compete with others under equal terms.
But you might not just wind up paying your ISP more. Smaller and medium sized services that depend on subscription revenue to deliver content to clients will most likely pass the increased costs of doing business to consumers, as it would be detrimental to not have access to these faster internet speeds. Bigger companies might be able to absorb these expenditures, but this will most likely be one of the first things they look at when its time find more revenue after a disappointing quarter. It will also mean that no matter how much a consumer is willing to pay for faster speed, some sites will be capped regardless.
Internet service providers have been looking to put an end to net neutrality for a while, but it was thought that the FCC would stop it to ensure that the United States would remain competitive in the global market-place. Other countries, such as Brazil recognize the advantages of net neutrality going as far as to add it as part of their Internet Bill of Rights, so this move is especially concerning.
What can you do about it? Well, if you care enough, there are still resources. The rules have not been released to public comment yet, that will happen on May 15th, and the full measure won’t be going to a vote until late this year.
If you do oppose this change and want to try to voice your displeasure, you can communicate with the FCC directors. You can find their contact information here.
Another avenue is to contact your Senators and representative in the House. You can find out who they are here, along with their e-mail address and phone number. There are two Senators per state, but the person you need to contact in the house of representatives will vary depending on your district. You can find out who the Representative for your district is here.
It is important that you contact the people that represent your district, and that you mention you are a member of their constituency in your communications, because quite simply, elected officials tend to listen only to those who have the power to vote in or out of office in the next election.
