During the past few weeks, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to turn on the television and not hear something about the reversal of net neutrality. A lot of people believe that this could be the end of the Internet as they know it. Others believe that the end of net neutrality could be huge for companies throughout the United States. In actuality, net neutrality has been good and evil. It has been a double-edged sword with a group of winners and a separate group of losers. Within this article, you will learn more about the good and bad attributes of net neutrality.
Streaming Websites
Net neutrality was adopted by a Democratic-led FCC in 2015. At the time, the rules were designed to ensure that the Internet would be a level playing field for all companies. It was put together to prevent broadband providers from slowing down access to certain websites while speeding up access to other websites. This all emerged after Netflix, and other streaming websites were throttled by Comcast and other Internet service providers. Net neutrality was most certainly a huge benefit for streaming websites, such as YouTube, Netflix, and even Amazon Video.
Companies that offer social media marketing, such as Bigbangram.com, were also winners. When net neutrality is removed, it could hurt Netflix and other similar companies.
ISPs Were Losers
When net neutrality was introduced to the public, it severely limited Internet service providers and restricted their ability to make money. They were no longer able to offer paid prioritization to companies throughout the world. They also had a more difficult time controlling and using data collected from their users. Once these rules are removed, there is a good chance that ISPs will return to old activities. They’ll likely throttle the speeds of Netflix, Google and even Amazon. Then, they’ll offer faster speeds for more money. There is also a good chance that Internet service providers will feel more freedom to sell their customers’ private information.
Startups Were Winners
When net neutrality rules were introduced, there were clear-cut winners and losers. One of the biggest winners was startup companies, such as Foursquare, Etsy, and even Airbnb. In the beginning, startup companies are working with limited capital. They might not be able to use a significant amount of money to pay for faster access speeds. In return, this would leave them out in the dry. With net neutrality, this wasn’t a problem. Startup websites could be accessed just as fast as Amazon, Google, and other multi-million-dollar websites.
After net neutrality is revoked, it may severely and violently impact startups.
Consumers
There is a debate regarding consumers and the impacts of net neutrality. Some people say that consumers were negatively impacted by these rules. Others believe that net neutrality helped to make the Internet accessible and open for consumers. It is believed that consumers may wind up paying more when net neutrality rules are removed. ISPs may offer slower speeds at higher prices and faster speeds at even higher prices. Of course, the future is uncertain, and nobody can say for sure at this point in time.
