Keep the Internet free!

On May 18, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will hold a vote on whether or not to preserve net neutrality.

If the Commission votes to no longer preserve net neutrality, ISPs will be allowed to tier Internet access in a similar way to television, with people being forced to pay extra in order to access certain websites. This will limit the ways people like you and me can use the Web. In addition, ISPs will be allowed to speed up connections to services that are provided by companies owned by them. For example, if net neutrality were repealed, AT&T would likely provide people a fast connection to DirecTV, which they own, while slowing connections to Netflix, which they don't.

Although this only sounds like an annoyance, ditching net neutrality would have far more serious consequences than people being forced to pay extra to access their favorite websites. Tiering the Internet and making people pay extra to access certain websites would bar poor people from all but the most basic Internet access. In schools, where the majority of learning is now digitized, the effects would be even worse. With the absence of net neutrality, schools would be forced to pay extravagant amounts of money to ISPs for the simple task of teaching kids.

Although ISPs say that abolishing net neutrality would allow them to speed up internet connections, this would only give faster connections to people who pay the most, and only to sites run by the ISP's subsidiaries. Watch this video for more information on net neutrality. Although some would argue that allowing ISPs to profit more would help the economy, abolishing net neutrality would make it much harder for people to start Internet-based services, suppressing innovation.

This is indefensible. When the Internet caught on in the 1990s, some described it as "the world at the click of a mouse". With no net neutrality, this would be "the world at the click of a mouse and the opening of your wallet". 

If you read this, write the FCC and ask them not to eliminate net neutrality. 

~Astatinius

Sources:
https://www.cnet.com/news/net-neutrality-redux-the-battle-for-an-open-net-continues/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtt2aSV8wdw

Yes, I know I need to get back to writing stories, but I've been extremely busy lately. I just couldn't stay silent on this issue. Sorry about these constant delays.