With all the talk about Net Neutrality today, it got me thinking about what life would be like in a world where ISPs can throttle my bandwidth, only let me see certain sites, and severely cripple my free speech...
It sounds absolutely awful!
For me personally, being able to access the internet freely with no throttling and no content filtering, allowed me to learn. It allowed me to explore my interests that weren't taught in my high school or college.
I learned how to solder. I learned how to do some basic programming. I learned how to do basic circuit analysis. I learned about the history of certain computer architectures. I learned about far away places and things to do in the places I've been. I read articles about people who built amazing things and shared their ideas with the world. I learned how to play guitar and organ.
I learned how to do the homework my professors assign to me. I learned about -3dB bandwidth and pole compensation. I learned about small signal analysis. I learned about Stokes Theorem, Greens Theorem, this theorem and that theorem.
Most importantly, I watched videos and read posts where people freely discuss ideas that in some places are considered controversial and illegal.
Right there is one of the biggest points about the internet. I am allowed to talk about what I want without fear of being silenced. The internet should be a place where people of all walks of life can gather and talk freely about anything they want.
If Title II of the Communications Act is lifted then an ISP could slow down your bandwidth for talking about things they don't agree with.
The internet has shaped me to the person I have become today. I don't know where I would be in life without it... maybe still studying music at college? Not going to college at all?
Who knows! All that matters now is that I am who I am because of the internets influence on my life.
Now, what if Title II is lifted? Would it allow another ISP to startup that doesn't do any of the awful things that the others are doing? One that supports free speech? Would the hatred of the other ISPs cause customers to jump to this new startup ISP, taking away business from the big ISPs? Could it be our "Internet Vigilante", our "Batman"?
I am no economist so I don't understand much about the market and consumer decisions, nor do I know anything about creating an ISP startup. But if things get worse that might be my goal once I graduate, to provide fair and equal internet access to my community.
Long story short, I support Net Neutrality because for me the internet means learning. What does it mean to you?
Check out these sites for more information about Net Neutrality and what you can do!
https://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now
https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/