What Is Net Neutrality and Why Are People Freaking Out?
Ajit Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon and now the FCC Chairman appointed by the Trump Administration, wants to end net neutrality and give Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) the freedom to pick and choose which sites you’ll have access to and others that may not load at all.
Consumers are worried that this will lead to a “website package” model much like how TV channel packages are sold by cable providers. This will allow your ISP to put extra price tags on popular websites, and some websites may even become inaccessible if you don’t want to shell out the extra cash.
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Here’s a mockup infographic you may see coming to an Internet Service Provider near you:
All the major players have come out in support of keeping net neutrality where it is. Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Snapchat and other tech companies could all lose money if their consumers’ access is restricted. Meanwhile, Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and other ISPs are wringing their hands together, promising they won’t abuse their new freedoms if given the chance.
Unfortunately for you and me, there’s not much impact we as consumers have on whether net neutrality stays or goes. The FCC’s decision is made by a 5-member board, and 3 of the 5 have already said that they will be voting to repeal net neutrality. That means this is already looking like a done deal, but feel free to call your Congressman and complain!
So how long do we have until Net Neutrality is a thing of the past?
THIS week: Senate tees off net neutrality showdown
By Jordain Carney and Juliegrace Brufke - 05/07/18 06:00 AM EDT
36
© Greg Nash
The
Senate is heading for a showdown over the future of the internet with
Democrats preparing to force a vote as soon as this week.
Sen. Ed Markey
(D-Mass.) is expected to file a discharge petition on Wednesday — the
first step to getting a vote on restoring the Federal Communications
Commission's (FCC) net neutrality regulations.
Democrats
haven’t yet said if they will also force the vote this week. Under
Senate rules, the resolution is subject to up to 10 hours of debate
after senators overcome an initial hurdle to bring it up on the floor.
“We’re in the homestretch in the fight to save net neutrality,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
(D-N.Y.) said in a statement last week. “Soon, the American people will
know which side their member of Congress is on: fighting for big
corporations and ISPs or defending small business owners, entrepreneurs,
middle-class families and every-day consumers.”
Democrats have a 60-day window to force a vote under the Congressional Review Act, setting up a hard June 12th deadline.
They appear to have the simple majority they need to win the net neutrality fight on the Senate floor.
With Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) absent as he battles brain cancer, the GOP majority is effectively capped at 50 votes. GOP Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) has said she will vote to restore the FCC regulations, which would result in a 50-49 vote in favor.
If
McCain returns, Democrats would need to pick up an additional
Republican senator in order to be successful in the Senate. They are continuing to hunt for an additional GOP vote with Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) viewed as the likeliest potential pickup.
The FCC rules mandated that internet service providers treat all traffic equally.
Even
if Democrats are able to get their resolution through the Senate, they
face an uphill battle in the House, where they would need to pick up the
votes of 25 Republicans.
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