The FCC Wants To Repeal Neutrality Laws: Here's What You Need To Know

It's safe to say that far more than half of the entire world's population uses the Internet. In advanced, developed countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and most of Eastern Europe, the vast majority of people use it for recreation, school, and work. For as long as the Internet's been around, internet service providers - typically large corporations - have provided equal Internet access to all.

Let's consider the United States, specifically. Ever since the Internet was developed by Tim Berners-Lee and company in Europe, the United States has always offered its citizens - not for free, of course, although all ISPs, or internet service providers, in the country - free and equal Internet browsing capabilities.

In the next month, free and equal Internet browsing might change - forever.

The Federal Communications Commission, the governmental agency that regulates television, radio, and other forms of communication, is set to repeal net neutrality laws.

What is net neutrality?

Net neutrality is the requirement of ISPs to offer equal bandwidth to all Internet use. If net neutrality rules were repealed in the United States, all internet service providers could pick and choose what websites people in our country could visit.

Are you sure that's right?

Yes. Let's take a hypothetical example, which very much could become reality in as little as one month's time.

You use the Internet for recreational purposes. You enjoy visiting a certain website - it can be any website, including those that aren't related to anything unethical, controversial, illegal, wrong, unjust, unpopular, etc. - however, with net neutrality rules not existing, your internet service provider can allocate absolutely zero bandwidth - the capability to visit a certain site, or perform a particular function using the world wide web or devices that utilize the Internet - to that site.

As such, you effectively couldn't visit that site.

Let's consider another example. Your internet service provider has a particular political viewpoint. A politician pays that ISP to cut off access to one or more sites that go against their political agenda. You now can't visit sites that politician thinks are (insert adjective here), or those that he or she simply doesn't like.

Visit battleforthenet.com to see what you can do to maintain net neutrality. Don't waste time. Visit now.