Net Neutrality effects you! Here's how...
As college students we are part of the first generation to grow up with the internet. We have grown with it. To think that we will let it go without a fight is a big mistake. Here's some of what you can expect if net neutrality falls for good.
Slower internet, for one. If ISPs are allowed to discriminate based on traffic they can effectively decide that if you aren't paying a premium price, you can't do certain things. Imagine going on YouTube only to have it be dial up speed because you don't have the "Video Streaming Package". As college students this effects us immensely. We use the internet for school now more than ever. We watch YouTube videos, go on BlackBoard, write blogs, research papers, and all kinds of other things. The internet is a tool that we use constantly. |
In the last several years the world has seen a number of incredible news stories, from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street to the Ukrainian conflict, which were largely covered by online citizen journalists.
Net neutrality being eliminated could obliterate this trend. Revolutions have been fought and the world was told over Twitter. That's how word got out during the police crackdown of Occupy Wall Street. Imagine if ISP's could decide to block traffic to "subversive" web pages and articles. This could be a disaster for freedom of speech and of the press. It's already starting. Verizon just started a "Tech News Site" that won't publish articles about net neutrality or the NSA scandal (and took it right down). If that's what's happening now imagine what would happen if ISPs could control not just their own sites, but access to the entire internet. |