The Politics of Net Neutrality

In the United States, having access to the internet is almost universal. The ability to view any website or obtain any piece of information at lightning speed and a low cost is often taken for granted. It may be surprising to internet-users that an ongoing debate about the structure of our internet exists within the American government and economy.

Net Neutrality is formally defined as "the principle that Internet service providers [ISPs] should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites." Put simply, this term refers to the right of consumers to communicate freely, via the internet, without ISPs (companies like AT&T, Comcast, etc.) from speeding, slowing, or blocking certain websites.

Why would a service provider make it difficult to access the content we need? Well, companies like those mentioned are always looking to improve or expand. By interfering with the open marketplace of the internet, corporations can eliminate competition by choosing to block consumers from seeing services that compete with their own offerings. If neutrality is removed, online companies may be able to pay ISPs to hide their adversaries from consumers. For example, Google may be allowed to pay an ISP to block Bing from their customer's service.

Ultimately, the ISPs are the gatekeepers of the internet. Without strict regulation, they could abuse this role and its power.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an organization tasked with regulating interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. This organization is currently under the leadership of Ajit Pai, a former Verizon executive chosen by President Trump. Pai, through his actions so far as chairman of the FCC, has proven to be in favor of powerful corporations and often ignores the needs of average Americans. Pai scrapped this proposal to subsidize (and discount) internet access for low-income Americans.

Evidently, the fate of the internet as we know it could potentially be in the hands of politicians that would be largely unaffected by a loss of access. However, this issue is extremely important to other Americans, as the majority rely on the internet for daily activities involved with education, work and communication.

Use the links and questions provided to formulate a response to this issue.

Some guiding questions for further research on net neutrality:

What does net neutrality look like? What about the lack thereof?

In what way is this a political topic? How does each party view this issue?

 How has net neutrality evolved overtime?

Who is Ajit Pai, Trump's pick for chairman of the FCC?

How does our existing net neutrality help consumers? How does it hinder the economy?

Useful links:

Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Now - From Freepress

The new political calculus on net neutrality - From The Hill

Net Neutrality: The Wrong Path for a Pro-Jobs, Pro-Investment Agenda - From the FCC
Opinion by party: Democrats vs. Republicans

Compare Obama-era policies on Net Neutrality with the plans of the Trump White House using the following links and political cartoon:

President Barack Obama's Policies: Net Neutrality - From the Obama White House Archives

President Donald Trump's Plans: Net Neutrality Is Trump’s Next Target, Administration Says - From the New York Times

Ajit Pai and the FCC: Trump’s F.C.C. Pick Quickly Targets Net Neutrality Rules - From the New York Times

Trump’s FCC chairman Ajit Pai is ‘one of the worst picks possible,’ Rep. Ro Khanna says - From Recode

The following video from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver helps show the importance of Net Neutrality.

Questions for discussion:

Who may benefit from the deregulation of the internet and ISPs? Who may suffer?

In your opinion, should the structure of the internet mirror American capitalism?

Is it morally wrong or discriminatory to abridge someone's access to certain websites or information based on their ISP?

What constitutional issue does Net Neutrality call into question? Hint: see the First Amendment.

How can the American economy benefit from the removal of net neutrality and the resulting competition in the internet industry? Should we welcome or try to prevent this competition?