Unless you have been living underneath a rock over the last couple of months, you are aware of the fact that the FCC repealed net neutrality – the regulations that ensure that all citizens in America have equal access to the internet and much more. What seems to a hard push by lobbyists working on behalf of cable companies and ISPs, has taken a turn for the worse if you view the idea from the perspective of the consumer. Fortunately, there are still some politicians that are concern about the interests of their constituents.
According to a recent report, Nebraska Senator, Adam Morfeld has introduced new legislation that would restore net neutrality. The bill is called the Internet Neutrality Act and it will repeal the recent decision by the FCC, which voted along party lines to get rid of net neutrality, opening up the opportunity for internet service providers to determine what sites consumers would have access to, limit service speeds for certain customers and bundle packages to increase the amount they could charge.
Can you imagine having to pay to have access to Google and Facebook or having certain sites completely inaccessible to certain consumers? This could literally destroy new enterprise endeavors and make it extremely hard for new startups to gain any traction in their perspective industries. According to sources close to the Senator, he does not believe that it is in the best interest of the nation and its citizens to give the power to internet companies to limit access to applications, content, and the web in general.
The bill is being presented as resolution designed to protect economic development over the long-term, as well as being protection for the consumer. Right now, 87 percent of consumers conduct online searches before making first time purchases. They also use the internet to compare services and prices. Imagine having your service provided through AT&T and having all of the content about their competitors like Comcast blocked.
Several companies have already admitted to throttling device and service performance to force their customers to upgrade their devices and services. Others have been fined for blocking certain sites for eliminating their competition.
Fortunately, Senator Morfeld is not the only one who is seeking to restore net neutrality for American citizens. There have been moves along the same line on the state level in Washington, California, and New York. The streaming giant Netflix has also weighed in on the issue. The state efforts to restore net neutrality face the challenge of being superseded by federal law.
Many see the repealing of net neutrality as another move to protect big business at the expense of small businesses and the American consumer. What is clear is that there will likely be a significant pushback by small businesses and consumers. For the ISPs and cable companies that are willing to keep things the way they are, they will likely experience significant growth as consumers and small businesses jump ship with their traditional providers. It is still early in the game and it is not clear how much opposition this new bill will get, but at least the American public can be aware that action is being taken.
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