In six days, a major vote will take place that could decide the future of the Internet as we know it.
Hell, if that doesn’t sound like something out of an action movie, I don’t know what does.
As cheesy as the above phrase is, it is the truth. On Feb. 26, the Federal Communications Commissions board will pass a vote on net neutrality, whether to keep it, or give some form of control of the Internet to communication businesses. It’s a hot topic in the eyes of tech geeks like myself, but I can’t shake the feeling that the general public doesn’t know much about it despite it affecting us all. So, here’s a brief look what net neutrality is, and what is behind the upcoming vote.
Network (or net) neutrality has been described as what the Internet is now: available to everyone with few rules in place. The service should not be restricted by government or service providers for any number of ways, ranging from person to person costs to blocking or restricting access of certain sites. The term was first coined by Tim Wu, an associate professor of law at University of Virginia in 2003.
“The idea is that a maximally useful public information network aspires to treat all content, sites and platforms equally," Wu said in his article, “Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination.” "This allows the network to carry every form of information and support every kind of application.”
Initially, that was opposite of what FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had in mind, a former communications lobbyist prior to his appointment by President Barack Obama. Wheeler, after getting the new gig in May last year, proposed calling the Internet Service Providers an “information service” that would allow them to charge users for priority access.
However, Wheeler has recently changed his tune with possibly a push from Obama. In a Feb. 2 op-ed piece for technology news site Wired, the chairman said that he, “…proposed new rules to preserve the internet as an open platform for innovation and free expression. This proposal is rooted in long-standing regulatory principles, marketplace experience and public input received over the last several months.”
In short, the Internet would be treated as a utility in the veins of electricity and water.
Of course, this turnaround isn’t sitting well with those against net neutrality, who argue that under the new proposal, ISPs would be struck with unnecessary fees and taxes. Meredith Atwell Baker, CEO of the mobile trade group CITA-The Wireless Association, responded to the new proposition by saying that, "the move would curtail technological development across the wireless sector." She continued by saying the edge held by the States above Europe concerning 4G mobile areas would evaporate.
Elsewhere, conservatives have threatened to sue the FCC if Wheeler’s proposal was put into place. Michael Powell, former FCC chair and now president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Wheeler’s old lobbyist group, called the proposal “too dramatic,” and said the group would head to court if it did pass. Interestingly enough, Verizon, one of the ISPs fighting Wheeler’s proposal, said that its Internet and wireless service investments would not be harmed if the Internet was treated as a utility. That said, Verizon will still sue if it does pass.
For myself personally, this whole situation is kind of exciting in an “action movie fate of the world" sort of thing. Do I want Wheeler’s proposal to go through? You bet.
I could take a soapbox and say that ISPs are more worried about a bottom line than the customers they serve. A 5-year-old could see through the transparency of these fine folks whenever they start opening their mouths, but that’s obvious.
The Internet is big enough now that I find it interesting that it hasn’t been called a utility already. I doubt that provider like Comcast are really hurting for cash to want to see this overturned. But like I said, it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to see what happens on Feb. 26.
Talk to the reporter about Net Neutrality via email: djulienr@asu.edu, or Twitter via @legendpenguin
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