Opinion

What net neutrality really means

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    A few days after being whacked pretty hard in the midterm elections, President Obama was back in the headlines proclaiming his support for net neutrality.
    Politically, it was a good move. Realistically, however, the president doesn’t have the authority to overrule the Federal Communications Commission. And they’re unsure whether they want to get involved in the fracas or let the marketplace decide the future of Internet service.

    For the non-tech savvy readers, here’s a quick primer on net neutrality.
    At the present time, the Internet isn’t considered a public utility like a telephone or electric company. It’s considered an information service, so it’s not regulated by the FCC or state agencies like the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
    Internet providers can charge what they want and add service to areas where they make the most money. That’s why it’s much harder to get reliable Internet service in Beaver Cove than Dover-Foxcroft.
    However, some companies want to go one step further and enact what’s called paid prioritization. For example, let’s say that Netflix wants to bump up its speed on the ‘Net but Facebook doesn’t. If they succeed, your Netflix pages will load a lot faster than your Facebook feed. Since Netflix has spent a ton of money upgrading its site, the cost has to be recouped in your monthly Internet bill.
    So what’s wrong with that? Opponents say that it’s not as simple as designating fast lanes and slow lanes on the information highway and charging appropriately. Once the major players like Netflix start demanding higher fees, they fear that two things could happen: everyone will have to pay more whether they use the expanded services or not; or download speeds for basic service will slow to a crawl as carriers concentrate on their premium customers.
    The FCC has also been down this road before. They issued what’s known as “open Internet” rules in 2010, mandating that providers can’t block or prioritize services, but have to allow traffic to flow unimpeded.
    However, a federal court struck down the ruling, saying that the FCC wasn’t able to prove it has the authority to impose the requirements. Again — the Internet is not a common carrier, but an information service.
    Where the FCC goes from this point is a good question. It may take months or years before everything is sorted out whether net neutrality is shelved or enacted.
    Expect several court cases to crop up, thus keeping hundreds of attorneys gainfully employed for the next decade.
    For most of us, the Internet is part of our daily lives, whether we embrace technology or not. We use more debit cards than cash nowadays. Tax refunds filed on the Internet arrive in our bank account within days. Our medical records are reviewed online. Many of you are reading this column on the Net.
    But here’s one safe prediction. No matter what the FCC rules, the price of Internet service won’t go down. It just may not rise as quickly if net neutrality is upheld.
Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.

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