If you’ve been on Reddit in the past few months, you’ll be aware of the debate that’s been raging over net neutrality. This week, its supporters celebrated a small victory, when the Senate voted to reinstate the regulations that supported it, but the battle is far from won. We take a look at why net neutrality is such a big issue, what’s likely to happen now, and what it means for all of us.





What is net neutrality?

Net neutrality is the basic principle that Internet service providers must treat all data equally, regardless of source or content, without blocking data or interfering with download and streaming speeds. This ensures that everyone has the same access to the same content, at the same time. Without net neutrality, your ISP would legally be able to slow certain services, such as Netflix, whilst charging a premium for others they allow running freely. There’s also the probability of providers selling the internet in ‘bundles’, forcing consumers to pay a premium for full social media packages, for example. The Federal Communications Commission, the US government agency created to regulate radio, television, wire, satellite and cable communications, spent many years attempting to enforce net neutrality before passing an order in 2015.

Who wants to repeal net neutrality?

Unlike countries such as the UK, the US telecommunications and internet markets are not particularly competitive, and there are claims that net neutrality is stifling innovation. FCC chairman Ajit Pai has said that he believes repealing net neutrality would give these markets a boost, because “broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas”. It’s also been argued that the current regulations are unfair because sites and services do not have to pay according to how much bandwidth they consume. For these reasons and others, the Republican-controlled FCC voted along party lines to repeal 2015 net neutrality regulations established under President Obama.





What does the recent Senate vote mean?

On Wednesday, the Senate voted to pass a measure that would prevent these changes. This was made possible using the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to review and reverse decisions made by government agencies. In order for net neutrality to remain, however, the House will also have to use CRA to overturn the policy. Even with every single Democrat behind the measure, it would still need the support of 22 Republicans, the vast majority of whom support repealing the 2015 measures. Even then, it would need the support of President Trump. Trump’s choice of Ajit Pai, longtime net-neutrality foe, to head the FCC would indicate the President is in favor of its repeal. Then again, he has been known to change his mind and is nothing if not unpredictable.

What does all this mean for the rest of the world?

At the moment, net neutrality is protected in Europe by the EU’s regulation on Open Internet Access. However, Andrew Glover, Chair of the UK Internet Services Providers Association Council, commented recently that whilst this protects broadband speeds, there are attempts to offer better access to various services through purchasing more expensive Internet packages.

In Canada, the issue also has not been quite as controversial, mainly because the Canadian equivalent of the FCC, the CRTC, does not have the same amount of bipartisan influence.

Nevertheless, where the US goes, the rest of the world tends to follow – especially developing countries looking to emulate the US in all matters domestic and economic. After all, it’s where the biggest tech companies are based.

Maybe it’s inevitable that the relentless march of modern capitalism would end in the Internet being sold to the highest bidder. Could forcing Internet service providers into competition with one another create more jobs, and give us better service? Perhaps, but the cost of an open and free online experience could be too steep a price to pay.





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