In a landmark move Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission approved new rules
supporting net neutrality. The regulations aim to ban Internet service
providers (ISPs) from giving preferential treatment to companies that
would pay extra to get their content to consumers.
The debate over
this principle has raged for years. Proponents like Tumblr CEO David
Karp say net neutrality protects the little guys, ensuring that their
voices have as much of an opportunity to be heard as those belonging to
large conglomerates.
Opponents, including several ISPs like Verizon, AT&T
and Comcast, argue that services like Netflix and Amazon should have to
pay for the disproportionately high bandwidth they use. Streaming a
movie takes a much greater toll on a network than loading a blog, for example. During peak hours in North America, Netflix accounts for over one third of "downstream" Internet traffic, which is the data received (rather than sent) by computers.
The FCC's new decision is a win for net neutrality proponents. But it's not final, and it awaits refinement from the courts and Congress, in addition to an expected heap of lawsuits from telecoms.
So, what will this mean for you?
Your Broadband Internet Is A Utility
You'll still get Internet service from your provider (Time Warner
Cable, Comcast, Verizon and so on), but the government will classify
service differently than how it did before. The FCC's decision Thursday
means broadband is considered a public utility, basically like
electricity or telephone service.
The classification is important, because it prevents providers from charging more for services like Netflix to reach audiences.
That means...
The new ruling lays the groundwork for all services to be treated equally by ISPs.
Put
in simple terms, net neutrality means that telecom companies would not
be able to block or slow access to content on a whim -- as Comcast has been guilty of
in the past -- meaning a streaming news video on CNN would be delivered
to your device just the same as a blogger's eye-witness clip published
on a smaller platform.
ISPs won't be able to pick and choose which sites run well on your connection.
Fewer Gatekeepers Controlling Information
Tumblr's David Karp wrote on Politico
that eliminating net neutrality "would make the Internet work a lot
more like cable TV," where programs pass through a series of gatekeepers
before they're produced and presented on your screen.
A helpful New York Times video
from 2014 makes it even clearer: Think of content online as "packages"
that need to be sorted and delivered to you by a provider like Time
Warner Cable. With net neutrality protections, everything must be sorted
and delivered in equal measure. Without them, Netflix could, in theory,
outbid Hulu for premium delivery on your Internet provider, slowing
rival services to a halt and giving Netflix's streaming program a leg up
in the marketplace simply because it was able to pay for it.
Netflix and Google have been among the most vocal companies speaking in favor of net neutrality.
To them, a "free and open" Internet is key to allowing innovation. Too
many gatekeepers, and "smaller, less-moneyed" voices could be left
behind, as Emily Peck put it for The Huffington Post.
What now?
As mentioned, net neutrality isn't a done deal. Republicans are investigating the decision, and lawsuits are expected. Some feel that net neutrality will slow investment in new Internet infrastructure.
Regardless,
Thursday's decision won't affect your Internet in the immediate future.
Regular users will be able to access to all of the services and
websites they usually enjoy. (At least, as long as they're legal.)
