Mariela Martinez

Professor Tom Haymes

Government 2305

September 22, 2019

The Issues in Net Neutrality

Net neutrality is the system that all type of internet providers should be equal no matter the source or destination. Many still have yet to really understand the real meaning of what net neutrality actually means, they hear net neutrality and automatically you think that is actually a bad thing. We need to let people know what it really means, explain to them that net neutrality is such a big thing that affects us all. Explain how regulating our internet access would only benefit the providers and not the consumers. If we can explain how this whole system works, we can help them learn, once they learn that it can affect them, they can get up and vote for someone who would help the consumer.

In the concept map we are adding different recourses where they are with or against net neutrality. The websites we are looking at give the different views on what people want to hear, like Fox news articles are likely to side with the republicans who are against the net neutrality. Also, CNN news can show you the other side of the topic which can side with democrats who are with net neutrality. Democrats want to help pass that law that was originally made by ex-president Obama, it benefits their voters and knowing that their voters would benefit from it, they can get their votes.

In 2018, a big topic about net neutrality came up in social media, people started to debate about the topic. I read from this article that many had never even heard about net neutrality till they started to see the debates on Twitter, as many tried to understand the actual meaning they saw that the correct way was to follow they ones they believe were right. Social media is the way to show people what they should know about important topics that are becoming laws that are being passed because the only one’s voting is the ones who care, social media made the topic about net neutrality rise and trend. Many starting to believe that net neutrality could never affect them because they don’t use social media or the internet but not realizing that their cable and tv providers would be in effect too.

We want to show the voters and younger generations that once net neutrality is gone is going to affect us all, having to pay plans to get internet in different apps and websites. Paying extra for faster internet in some apps and maybe even ones you don’t even need but because it is in the plan is going to be included. The FCC wants to block net neutrality for companies to have the freedom of wanting to take more from the consumer. What people really have to do is get out and vote, research the candidates because it can benefit you and your community. The votes matter when it benefits net neutrality because we all want to be able to use the internet easily with not having to resist other apps.

The image above is an example of net neutrality. If the law of net neutrality was gone, it would split into different lanes as the fast lanes could be a specific app like Instagram is going to be faster than the slow lane that could be twitter.

Companies have avoided net neutrality before and have actually stopped. This article helps you explain why many companies like Verizon and AT&T have done things that go against net neutrality like AT&T blocked apps like skype in the early 2000s, and Verizon protecting ISIS which was a mobile payment system but ended up canceling it. Comcast was caught injecting commands on user’s internet services, they broke many rules which got them caught by the FCC by violating the Internet Policy Statement. In the article The Verge you can read about this company and many more that have violated the rules of net neutrality. Both companies were stopped for violating the terms, but it could happen again if net neutrality isn’t something in our minds that this is as important as other issues too. The absence of all these rules and violations on the open internet can become more and more common in our society if we don’t do anything to stop it.

In conclusion, the topic of net neutrality is a big topic because we all benefit because we are all the consumers and could become victims of companies. The plan is to speak more about the rules that companies keep wanting to brake and see that we have the right of equal access to the internet, have sponsors explaining to everyone in social media. Exposing all this to social media, to people who still don’t understand the right for equal access to the internet because.