By Lindsay Feller
Within the last decade, the internet has been used by over half the worlds population. It is a way for people to connect and stay up to date with all that they need to know. With all of the great things that the internet can provide, service companies often times take advantage of the masses. Net neutrality is “the principle that individuals should be free to access all content and applications equally, regardless of the source, without Internet Service Providers discriminating against specific online services or websites.” (Public Knowledge, 2017.) No user should feel like they are being withheld online material due to any circumstance, whether it be freedom of expression, privacy rights, or internet access rights (Tim Berners Lee, 2018.)
Over the last decade, there has been many disputes and adjustments to the rules on Net Neutrality. In 2010, the Open Internet rules were put in place to uphold Net Neutrality. Unfortunately, there were many loopholes found in these rules. In 2015, the FCC was able to come up with rules that would make the internet a fair space for everyone. Since a Republican government took charge in the US in 2017, Net Neutrality rules have gone back up into the air. Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, strongly believes that Net Neutrality should be enforced on all media companies. His plans and campaign are in support of the working class and making sure that they are being treated fairly.
https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/994260620877983744
While there are so many people active on the internet, there is also an abundance of people who want to use the internet, but they cannot because of Net Neutrality. According to an article written by Solana Laren, 80 percent of Africa is still offline. The majority of the population there cannot afford it. This only hinders Africa from making progression as a continent.
There would be many consequences and effects if Net Neutrality is not in place. One consequence is that many people who could not afford a computer security system would be a higher risk of online theft, or having any personal information stolen from them. Nowadays, many important money and capital transactions and interactions take place online. At the click of a button, any experienced hacker can steal information that is not properly protected.
In today’s day and age, having access to the internet is a very crucial aspect in success. The internet is flooded with information, opportunities, answers and virtually anything one can think of. Taking away the internet is ultimately just stripping the working class of potential success. In the long run, this would have a negative effect on society by widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor even more.
Another consequence of not having Net Neutrality would be a limited speech. Many people would not be able to share their ideas and views over the internet. This would be a problem since the internet is the quickest way to reach the largest audience possible. Net Neutrality has provided a voice for so many minority groups who have not had one in the past. Without out it, their would be very little social progression and racial justice.
Growing up in the era of the internet, my go to way for finding information has been the internet. It has helped me succeed in my classes and get me to this very point right now. If I were to find myself throughout this time with my internet access restricted because of who I am or because of my status, I would not have been able to get even half way to the level of success that I am at now. I believe that taking away Net Neutrality is the upper class and big businesses way of gaining more power and influence on the world. Since these people already have control over the internet service companies, they use the internet to further their money and power hungry agenda.
The fight for digital rights remains strong alongside other American battles for equality. Our society needs Net Neutrality to grow and flourish as a whole. It is morally wrong to withhold information from someone because of their background. I plan to become active in the fight for online rights and try to make sure all people have access to any online material that they need.
Works Cited
Peri Jonathan, How Killing Net Neutrality will Hurt Online Protests (Masahble, 2017.)
Finley Klint, The WIRED Guide to Net Neutrality (Wired, 2018.)
Larsen Solana, Who Saved the Web (Future of the Internet, 2016.)
Lindsay Feller 