A #netneutrality policy will ensure small businesses and entrepreneurs secure their space in the communications market and protect consumers. Net neutrality is the best way to go for internet policy.
In recent years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has become the subject of one of Congress's political battles. A democratic commission championed its neutrality order "Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet." Not to be outdone, the Republican-controlled Pai Commission that helped get net neutrality repealed dubbed its own bill “Restoring Internet Freedom.” However, from the look of things, overturning net neutrality was not a wise move. The effects on consumers and small businesses is tremendous.
Net neutrality is of the principle that all traffic on the internet deserves equal treatment, regardless of whether you are posting photos on Instagram, checking Facebook, or streaming movies from Amazon or Netflix. It also stresses that internet service providers such as AT& T cannot favor certain content more than others.
The policy ensures that the World Wide Web remains unbiased. Unless the content is breaching the laws, it does not require any regulations. Internet service providers cannot deny access or modify the stream of data or how you receive the data for your use.
A neutral internet also guarantees freedom of speech and expression. It makes it possible for internet consumers to post content without being censored by internet service providers.
Access to the internet is now regarded as a public utility, like water and power. As a result, everyone is entitled to its use. Net neutrality ensures it continues to be a necessity rather than a luxury. This puts in controls on price increases and restricts charges for separate access to different sites. Without net neutrality, ISPs could “cabel-ize” the internet. Instead of paying a flat rate cost for using any application or service free of charge, providers could start bundling services where consumers will be required to pay for different "packages" of access. Imaging having to pay one fee to access social media, and another fee to shop on Amazon. Under this policy, Internet Service Providers are also be forbidden from speeding up or slowing down certain websites.
Finally, the neutral internet policy will promote competition by creating a level playing ground for upcoming companies. During the implementation of net neutrality in 2015, #FCC cautioned “that broadband providers hold all the tools necessary” to “degrade content, or disfavor the content that they don’t like.” Therefore, without net neutrality, broadband providers may be allowed to charge all websites and services, among them startups, to reach an ISP's subscribers. That is a threat to the low cost of starting a company, which upends the internet economics. The success of U.S. startups depends on an open internet with enforced neutrality rules. According to Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, “neutrality principles must be protected for the next set of entrepreneurs, building their services and trying to reach users.”
Although opponents of neutral net policies have genuine concerns about it, it should not hinder the restoration of the principles. Instead, we should look for ways to deal with the shortcomings presented by the regulations rather than doing away with them altogether.
