Meta-Humanity: The Information One-Lane Highway

What makes a good network go neutral?

Whether you have been aware of it or not there has been a lot of talk lately about net neutrality. Its a term that's getting thrown around more than pies at a clown convention, but what does it really mean? The long and short of it, is that Net Neutrality refers to the idea that the flow of information on the internet should be treated fairly and equally. It means that no company has the right to restrict or slow down your access to certain sites, or prioritize certain internet services over others. After all, we pay for our Internet bill, therefore we should be allowed to decide what and when we see something... At least that's the way it is supposed to work in theory. (For more FAQs, check out the Save the Internet site.)

And that is how most people think the Internet works. You pay your bill and then you can go on whatever website you want, and (if you live alone like me) you assume that since you are the only one using the Internet and you have the browser clicked over to Amazon.com that all your bandwidth power is being directed to that one site. (After all, why wouldn't it?) But that's not how it works. Internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast and Verizon have been artificiality slowing down certain sites, most notably Netflix, to homes. They are basically trying to extort money from large Internet companies (like Amazon, YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix). If the company doesn't pay them they will slow their access down to a crawl, which means that when you're streaming Die Hard 5 (or a good movie) on your Netflix you will keep losing video quality and may even have to wait as parts of the movie buffer. (You know like the porn videos you used to watch back in 1999.) Worst of all, who does the customer blame? Not Comcast. No they blame Netflix, even though its not their fault.

Netflix has already paid Comcast their blood money to ensure that their service will not have their speeds restricted. The article I linked tries to spin the agreement like its a good thing, but the truth is that Netflix paid Comcast for the right to not be restricted. They didn't pay for priority access. They didn't pay for their service to be faster than others. They only paid so as to not be restricted. That would be like me paying extra for food, not because it was better or served faster than other food, but just to ensure that the cook doesn't decide to drop cyanide in it... And do not mistake my meaning. this type of behavior is cyanide to the freedom of the Internet.

"Would you like that with or without rat poison?
The 'without' option is only an additional $2.99."

This is made even worse because large ISPs like Comcast and Verizon basically form an oligopoly. It's like a monopoly except there is no singular man with a top hat and monocle. Instead, it would be like if the battleship and race car decided to split the board in half equally and charge the same prices to everyone to use their services. They are no longer competing, because once a year they would get together and decide to raise their prices or change their services equally, and what can most homes (or hotels) do about it? Comcast and Verizon own and lay the fiberoptic cables that carry the Internet. Most places in the country literally don't have a choice in who their Internet service provider is. It's similar to the electric and gas companies (as most homes don't have a choice which utility company they can use,) except that those services are regulated by the government. ISP's are 100% private, and now they are pushing for even more freedom. (Freedom to them but what could amount ot tyranny for the Internet.)

Up to this point companies like Comcast and Verizon have been classified by the Federal Communications Commission as Common Carriers. Its a legal definition that applies mostly to phone companies, (which Verizon and Comcast also are,) and both companies as well as lesser known ISPs have basically been happy to be classified as such for the past few decades. After all, being a common carrier comes with certain protections, but it also comes with certain restrictions, most notably the rule that common carriers cannot prioritize one communication over another. (So a phone company can't charge an automated calling company more to prioritize their phone calls over your Aunt Phyllis' phone call.) In January a federal court of appeals struck down the idea that ISPs were common carriers because they claimed they were carrying information and not communication.

This ruling has now opened up a new fear in many people. ISPs could start charging content providers or even customers directly for services that were otherwise free. "You want access to YouTube? That will be $4.99 additional. Do you want access to Facebook or Twitter? Get the social media package for an additional $8.99 a month. It will appear automatically on your bill." Regardless whether ISPs charge the customer directly or the content providers the cost will eventually get passed along to the consumer. That means higher costs, longer download times, and if it gets bad enough you will start to see a lot of the Internet's more innovative and free sites (Like YouTube and Wikipedia) fall by the wayside. It would also hinder growth, because what would be the point of growing your website if you risked getting so big that ISPs decided to slap you with an additional fee just so people could continue viewing it? (At least that is something I will never have to worry about.)

This kind of thinking runs parallel to everything the Internet has accomplished up until now. County's like South Korea are paying half the amount for Internet service that is ten times faster than what we receive. Our freedom and our future is being strangled by the greed of corporations. Even worse Comcast is trying to buy Time Warner Cable, (which if you are paying attention would make Comcast a legitimate monopoly, top hat and all.) Even crazier the FCC is considering allowing it, (because f*ck anti-trust laws.) Most people who should be outraged by all of this (you and me) barely even know its going on. America's future prosperity is inescapably linked with the freedom of the world wide web. If we let that freedom slip away I don't even want to consider what our future will be. Netflix is leading the charge against these new threats to the Internet, but maybe that's because they stand to lose the most.

Pick up Hasbro's newest version, "ISP Monopoly."
(When purchasing there is an optional $1.99 charge which
ensures that the game comes with all advertised pieces.)

Companies like Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube provide services which directly compete with services already provided by the ISPs (or cable companies as they used to be called.) If enough customers stop using Netflix than that is a win for the cable companies who for an additional cost will provide a customer with hundreds of channels of TV to watch instead, and premium movie channels for an additional cost, and DVR functions for an additional cost on top of that. Have you ever looked at your cable bill and wondered why your Internet cost was the most expensive item on it? It's because Verizon and Comcast want you to use their cable services, and all the little extras you can buy. The Internet is a flat fee for them, which means the only revenue they get from it is from that monthly charge. There are no extras or add-ons, at least not yet, and they can charge whatever they want for it, because there is no competition. It's ironic we have started calling them Internet Service Providers, because from where I stand they are still just Cable Companies trying the same old tricks they always have. Yet, whatever you want to call them, make sure you call them Common Carriers.

In short, ISPs are trying to turn the information superhighway into a one-lane game board where they control all the spaces. (Do not pass Go, pay us $200.) If you want to help (and you should) contact the FCC and let them know your thoughts. These ISPs have the money, the lobbyists, and the time to make their voices heard. We need to make our voices heard, and let the people in Washington know why this is a terrible terrible terrible terrible idea. Use the links below to contact the FCC and your local representatives to voice your opinions.

Contact the FCC Leadership
Comment form for proceeding 14-28 "Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet":
Comment form for proceeding 14057, "Application for Comcast/Time Warner Merger"
Contact your Representatives

And if you are still not convinced, Here are some people (who I respect and admire) that can explain it a lot better than I can.