So! The current presidential administration is pushing hard against net neutrality.
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| "WHY DO YOU RESTRICT MY PROFITS WITH YOUR FREEDOM?" |
Net neutrality is essentially what makes the internet a common corridor where everyone's content, websites, and services are all treated the same. Opponents of net neutrality are claiming it's a restriction on a free market and thus stifling innovation. These opponents are also, conspicuously, all major telecom providers. The only way they're stifled is they don't feel particularly incentivized to make internet speed any greater, because internet access has surpassed luxury and become "utility" in function and shopping around is often impossible.
Essentially, telecoms are punching us in the face saying, "stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself" and saying that if we let them do what they want then they'd be allowed to stop punching us, but since we won't, they can't.
Essentially, telecoms are punching us in the face saying, "stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself" and saying that if we let them do what they want then they'd be allowed to stop punching us, but since we won't, they can't.
Net neutrality, as it stands today, is the reason an enormous sector of the economy has come into existence and become a critical element of success. It is a paragon of open market capitalism and freedom of expression. Truly.
Over the past twenty years on the principle of even footing and open competition has been utterly dependent on net neutrality allowing the best services and content to rise to the top and succeed, driving quality up across the board right with it. A removal of net neutrality allows cable providers to determine the speed at which you can access content, ideas, services, and that speed depends on how much the provider-side is willing to pay.
This is a slap in the face of small businesses, growing start-ups, artists, writers, activists, thinkers, literally everyone.
Net neutrality is a small, unassuming, and critical corner of the dream of those that value equality and unbridled capitalism. It's crucial to get behind it.
Click here (or on the image below) to send an email, call your congressperson, and start making noise because as silly as it sounds, and with as much else as we've got going on, this does genuinely matter to you, whether you realize it or not.
