When I started this blog I wanted to avoid getting political as much as possible, but politics are a fact of life it seems. So, here we go...
Warning, opinions within.
Net neutrality is an
important topic, even if you're not from the United States of
America. If the corporations get their hooks into the web in the USA
it will probably effect us all, unfortunately.
I'm going to admit
straight away, that this is largely opinion, although I did do some
research. Also, some of my sources have been listed at the bottom of
this post.
I assume that many of
the people reading this will have a working knowledge of what net
neutrality is, but for those that may not I'll give a brief
explanation. Essentially, it requires that all internet service
providers must treat all websites the same, and they're not allowed
to play favourites. For example, this prevents them from charging
for access to websites, or deliberately interfering with a customers
access to online services.
So if net neutrality is
done away with, then ISPs will able to do this things, and they will.
Why? Because there's money in it, naturally. After all, who cares
about actually cares about the comfort of their customers when
there's a profit to be had?
What will likely happen
following the dissolution of the current rules regarding internet
service providers, is that the companies will begin carving up the
web between themselves. Websites that provide competition to
services they provided will be throttled, in other words,
deliberately hit with slow down; unless the website, or the customer,
pays a fee.
Speaking of fees, some
websites may even be placed behind paywalls, viewable only if you pay
an extra charge, on top of your regular internet bill. As such,
simply browsing the internet is likely to become either a lot more
expensive, or a lot more irritating; probably both.
Why do I think that
this will happen? Because the companies have previous form.
Such as when Comcast
“throttled” file-sharing websites in 2007, not just piracy sites,
but reportedly also legal information. Or when AT&T were caught
deliberately limiting access to Facetime, a third-party app, to
people who bought their more expensive packages. Then there was the
time Madison River Communication Corp deliberately tried to block
access to services that rivalled their own.
You don't need a
crystal ball when you have basic pattern recognition.
Now, as why I think
that this will effect those of us living outside of the United
States, it's because America positions itself as leader of the “free
world”. I am of course speaking about the free market, and how it
supports and influences capitalism in general. If the corporations
succeed in America, they may well try in the rest of the world.
That is not to say that
other governments will capitulate so easily, but the precedent will
be there. Yet, looking at Britain right now, where the current
government doesn't hesitate to privatise essential services such as
health care, I'm not too hopeful.
As an example, let's
look at Portugal, a European Country that does not have net
neutrality. In Portugal the internet service providers have been
slicing the net up, and selling them off in packages not dissimilar
to how mobile phone companies. Where you are given a data cap each
month, and then have to pay more if you hit your limit.
This sounds fine, until
you realise that you have to pay for each different type of service
you want. You want to send more e-mails, that's €4.99, access to
social networks is another €4.99, and video? You guessed it,
another €4.99.
Not to mention that
American customers make-up such a large portion of English-speaking
internet users. If they are suddenly unable to access certain
websites, then those websites may lose a large percentage of their
viewership, and perhaps there revenue. Websites you enjoy might
simply disappear, or since nothing truly vanishes from the net,
simply stop updating.
If you're an internet
content creator living outside the US, you might find that your
viewership figures go down, as American audiences are now unable to
access your site, unless you pay a fee to improve your standing with
the relevant internet service providers, of course.
Or perhaps your website
won't be blocked entirely, instead it loads with speeds reminiscent
of a 56k modem, and viewers stop coming out of frustration.
Either way, the end of
American net neutrality may not effect us directly, but the knock-on
effect will be felt.
Unfortunately, there is
nothing we can do about it at the moment, except watch and wait. All
I can advise for the moment is to keep an eye on how things are
proceeding in your part of the world, just in case. Remember, give
them an inch, and they'll take a mile.
Until next time,
PhoenixAct.
Sources:
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