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This Proposal Will Completely Change the Internet as we Know it (Video)
Proposal Will Completely Change the Internet as we Know it
May 15 2014
FCC just ruled on a proposal that will completely change the internet as we know it!
The FCC voted today 3-2 to approve creation of an “internet fast lane.” This will have massive ramifications for how all internet companies operate in the future.
According to the FCC’s proposal, companies that deliver content over the internet like Netflix, Hulu, and Business Insider will be able to pay internet service providers (ISPs) for direct access to customers on a given network. That means their content will reach ISP subscribers much faster than content from companies that don’t pay ISPs for direct access.
For example, Netflix is already paying Comcast and AT&T for direct access to customers, and it has reported those customers are seeing faster streaming speeds.
But as we wrote yesterday, the proposal gives an unfair advantage to companies that can afford this “fast lane” to consumers. It makes it a lot harder for a new internet content startup to come in and compete with established giants. And without competition, those giants would be free to charge you more.
On the other hand, the FCC’s proposal says ISPs won’t be allowed to purposefully slow down content from internet companies that don’t pay them directly. Still, this gives an unfair advantage to companies that can afford to pay.
It is important to note that the FCC’s proposal is just that — it isn’t set in stone. The final rules won’t be set for several more months. In the meantime, the FCC is open to public comment on its proposal. But based on today’s 3-2 vote, it sounds like most of the FCC commissioners are already on board.
The tech community has been up in arms about this decision, so we’ll see if it can organize itself and stop the rule from happening. Most advocates of net neutrality want broadband internet classified under a rule called Title II, which would treat broadband internet as a utility. Phone lines got the Title II distinction back in the dialup internet days. Read more
Are you prepared?
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