December 14th maybe the last day the internet as we know it will exist. Powerful players are trying to control how we access the net.
It seems we just won our right to a free and open internet but when there's money and information on the table large groups won't stop fighting to control it. These players won't give up easily in their quest to control the very information we seek.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote next month to repeal the net neutrality rules put in place by President Obama, a move that will change how we use and access the Internet.
New proposed regulations are being circulated among the commission and the FCC will vote on how to go forward with their efforts to control the internet and kill the old bill. They want to replace the Open Internet or Net Neutrality Rules, which prevented Internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or throttling legal content in which users seek to access, as well as preventing ISPs from accepting payment to prioritize data.
What this means is rather than having a fair and open internet, the ISP providers will be able to prioritize what data is easiest to access, for profit.
The internet is abuzz now with this new information. It seems like we just fought to keep the internet open and fair but the new ruling, if it goes forth, will clamp down on what information gets shared. Reddit is ablaze with its users screaming mad over these proposed changes. Some very powerful groups are trying to rally people to contact their Congress and demand the ruling not take place.
The FCC commissionaire, Ajit Pai says that under his proposal they will stop "micromanaging the internet" and that they'll take a "light touch approach to regulating the internet." You can see the problem, the regulation is what will kill the free and open internet as we know it.
This move will allow Internet service providers to prioritize the data we see when we do our searches. Companies, corporations and any other powerful group with enough funds will pay to control the information we see online.
If this new proposal gets passed it will be seen as a giant win for AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, that together influence 95 million people with the internet they're paid to provide them. Now these companies will be able to accept money from other groups and also make more money themselves for the information they prioritize.
From what I understand there isn't much we can do to stop the FCC from going forth with this new proposal. Facebook and Google have expressed their interest in stopping the FCC from this new regulatory vote by backing the Internet Association, a group of lobbyists tasked with trying to keep the internet as we know it unchanged and device maker Roku has also been paying people to campaign and lobby for net neutrality aswell. The fact is the FCC and the major internet providers have almost complete control in this issue but people are urged to contact them and tell them they like the internet as it is and to stop the regulation of such.
After seeing Reddit on fire over this issue I hope more people here on Steemit research this themselves and try any effort they can to voice their displeasure with what is about to take place in less than a month.
The internet as we know it could very well change forever and not for the better!
Thanks for reading,
