Kristine Mirrer

Google’s most searched term on Dec. 15 was “FCC,” according to its trends analysis. That doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Aside from a discernable blip on Thursday when “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” took the lead, the week was mostly all about the repeal of net neutrality ... at least after the Alabama polls closed. Net neutrality and FCC took top places, plus additional high rankings for related searches, for nearly the entire week.

It figures. Most of us were all hunting and clicking for more about the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality regulations once the rapid-fire pace of the final action was apparent. I am in the fortunate position of working with young adult students of communication and media every day so I asked them what they thought. By end of the week, they, like 83 percent of the country, were trying to sort out the consequences of a repeal that they did not support.

As a New Jersey educator, I am most concerned about how this policy shift will affect our university students and young adults entering the workplace. Most students rely extensively on smartphones, tablets and laptops to access all aspects of their education, work and social lives. Limitations of provider rate plans and high costs at home mean many of my students rely heavily on the institution’s Wi-Fi network and computer labs to complete assignments and prepare for work. This is true at many university campuses.

How will this telecommunication policy shift affect our students and the services we provide them? Truth is, for the moment no one really knows. However, in my department of communication, media and journalism, we are familiar with the greater history of broadcast regulation by the FCC. That story may be the best predictor of the effects of current Internet deregulation. Since 1980 and the election of President Ronald Reagan, deregulation has been the prominent philosophy of the regulatory body. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 only speeded up the process of loosening restrictions.

Numbers make this clearer. In 1953, the commission enacted the 7-7-7 Rule in order to encourage greater diversity and limited power by a few owners. It allowed corporations or individuals to own only seven AM radio stations, seven FM radio stations, and seven television stations. In 1984, the FCC voted to raise those numbers to 12. Currently in 2017, Sinclair Broadcasting Group lists 193 television stations (233 if proposed sales are approved), 589 channels, and 89 U.S. markets. Radio ownership has been even more affected by accelerated deregulation. iHeartMedia, formerly Clear Channel Communications, is the largest and most profitable radio station ownership group, holding 855 stations across the United States. The lifting of restrictions also resulted in decreased diversity of ownership and less local community-based content. Increases have come in the form of record profits for a privileged few.

The FCC’s record on radio and television deregulation is cautionary and puts us on notice about what to expect with Internet freedom. It shows that the regulatory body is not out to protect the little guy and has no problem sacrificing a free flow of information to corporate profits.

Going forward all us must be watchdogs for abuses like paid prioritization, when service providers provide faster speeds for premium payers, and vertical prioritization, when they favor their own material. Discrimination through intentional bandwidth throttling or slowing down transmission of legal content, and censorship of legitimate websites with diverse points of view must also be protected in order that our students and others may continue to access the information they need.

Telecommunication policy is unlikely to remain a top Google trend. In fact, since December 16, it has not made the top 20 once, being replaced by a train derailment, a tax bill, football and celebrities. We also need to keep “Telecommunication Policy,” “FCC” and “Net Neutrality Repeal” trending in our personal searches if we wish to be vigilant as watchdogs for these freedoms.

Kristine Mirrer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the School of Communication, Media, and Journalism at Kean University.

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