On Feb. 22, the Federal Communications Commission published its repeal of the Open Internet Order (which was created in 2015 during President Obama’s term). It is a decision that will have a far-reaching impact on nearly every industry.
“The posting of this new order on the FCC web site may seem like it means that net neutrality is doomed, but actually it means the legal floodgates are open and that corporations and government officials can now take action to stop the repeal,” says Marcus Harris (https://softwarenegotiation.com), software litigation attorney. “We can also expect Congress to possibly get involved, and they have until April 23 to do so. Meanwhile, in the Senate, politicians are still battling to stop the FCC’s decision, but the House will likely keep them from doing so once the bill moves to them.”
Harris says that the end of net neutrality could spell the death of small business and the free market. “For a company to be in the ‘fast lane’ of the Internet, they will have to pay additional fees. So, if you have a startup e-commerce site that cannot afford to be in the fast lane, your ability to survive could be jeopardized,” he adds.
But there is more, explains the software litigation attorney. “It could be entirely possible that Comcast (which owns NBC) could block access to Netflix for all Comcast users because Netflix competes with Comcast’s own streaming service,” Harris says.
In other words, the end of net neutrality could mean that your ability to enjoy your favorite shows could be hampered. “The end of net neutrality means that you are no longer in the driver’s seat when it comes to accessing the World Wide Web,” says Harris. “Now, big-time corporations like Comcast will rule the Internet…and that could spell of the end of countless small businesses and to a less important but still valid degree, the end of your Netflix binge sessions.”
Fortunately, says Harris, people aren’t surrendering to this decision without a fight. Net Neutrality ends on April 23, but in the meantime we can expect numerous actions from lawmakers and politicians who are combating the FCC’s decision.”