What Is Net Neutrality? -- What You Should Know

Courtesy of Action Network

Net Neutrality--What You Need to Know:

• The House recently voted to repeal Obama-era rules to protect the open internet.

• Net Neutrality is the internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online.

• It means the internet enables and protects free speech.

• ISPs (Internet Service Provider) should provide us with open networks — and shouldn’t block or discriminate against any applications or content that ride over those networks.
• Ex: Phone companies shouldn’t decide who you call and what you say on that call --your ISP shouldn’t interfere with the content you view or post online.

• 3 rules for Net Neutrality:

• No Blocking-- A broadband provider cannot block >>
• Lawful content
• Applications
• Services or nonharmful devices.

• No Throttling ("slowing down”)-- The FCC stated that providers cannot single out Internet traffic based on >>
• Who sends it.
• Where it's going.
• What the content happens to be.
• Whether that content competes with the provider's business.

• No Paid Prioritization-- A broadband provider cannot accept fees for favored treatment.
• The rules prohibit Internet fast lanes.

Without Net Neutrality: 

• The internet becomes a closed-down network:
• Cable and phone companies call the shots and decide which websites, content or applications succeed.
• Companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to decide who is heard and who isn’t.
• They would be able to block websites or content they don’t agree with.
• They can also block applications that compete with their own offerings.

• Cable and phone companies could carve the internet into fast and slow lanes.

• An ISP could slow down its competitors’ content or block political opinions it disagreed with.

• ISPs could charge extra fees to the few content companies that could afford to pay for preferential treatment — relegating everyone else to a slower tier of service.

• It would destroy the open internet.

Why Is Title II So Important?

• Gives the FCC the authority it needs to ensure that companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon can’t block, throttle, or interfere with web traffic.   
• Title II preserves the internet’s level playing field >>
• This allows people to share and access information of their choosing.  
• This has created the historic era of online innovation and investment — and have withstood two court challenges from industry.

• Chairman Ajit Pai (former Verizon lawyer) wants to ditch Title II and return the FCC to a “light touch” Title I approach.   
• Translation: Pai wants to give control of the internet to the exact companies that violated Net Neutrality for years before the FCC adopted its current rules in 2015.

Who Is Attacking Net Neutrality?

• Big phone companies
• Verizon
• Nokia
• AT&T

• Cable companies
• Comcast
• Lobbyists
• National Cable & Telecommunications Association 
• American Cable Association

• Other companies include:
• Qualcomm
• Panasonic
• IBM
• Intel
• Ericsson
• Cisco

• These companies have spent $572 million over the past 9 years on influencing multiple government agencies, including the FCC to overturn Net Neutrality.
• Every comment sent to the FCC about the proposed elimination of net neutrality>>  those groups spent about $100 on their lobbying efforts.

Who Is Defending Our Net Neutrality:

• Google
• Facebook
• Netflix
• Twitter
• AirBnB
• Amazon
• Reddit
• OkCupid
• Mozilla
• Vimeo
• Etsy
• The ACLU

Violations of Net Neutrality:

• Comcast was secretly slowing uploads from peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) applications by using forged packets.
• Comcast didn't stop blocking these protocols like BitTorrent until the FCC ordered them to do so.

• AT&T was also caught limiting access to FaceTime.
• Only those users who paid for the new shared data plans could access the application.

• In 2004: The Madison River Communications company was fined $15,000 by the FCC for restricting their customer’s access to Vonage which was rivaling their own services.

Why Is Net Neutrality So Crucial For Our Communities?

• Without Net Neutrality, ISPs could block speech and prevent dissident voices from speaking freely online.

• The open internet allows people of color and other vulnerable communities to bypass traditional media gatekeepers. 

• Because of systemic racism, economic inequality and runaway media consolidation, and lack of diverse ownership--people of color own just a handful of broadcast stations >>
• Without Net Neutrality, people of color would lose a vital platform.

• Net Neutrality is crucial for:
• Small business owners
• Startups
• Entrepreneurs
• These are the people who rely on the open internet to launch their businesses, create markets, advertise their products and services, and reach customers.