A internet provider’s website in Portugal, where they have no Net Neutrality laws.
I am a full-stack developer. I work in IT. I’ve watched the Internet grow from a few rare nodes on a green CRT screen to the behemoth it is today. Please believe me when I say this repeal of Net Neutrality could be the absolute worst thing to ever happen to the Internet.
Net Neutrality ensures that all internet users have equal access to the online world. Its repeal would mean that internet providers could charge a premium for certain sites, block access to others, and stifle competition. The end result is an all around worse experience and greater cost for all of us.
From a tech point of view, you might think of it this way: From any node on the Internet, you can reach any other node, anywhere in the world. And the bandwidth/speed allocated to that node would be basically the same no matter which node you connected to. A repeal of Net Neutrality means that your internet provider can decide that they don’t like nodes B,C,D, and E for some reason. End result? Your connection to B,C,D, and E are slowed or even cut off. “But I’ll just get another provider if they do that,” you say. Great, if you can find one who doesn’t do this too. And in some communities, there is only one internet provider. If you don’t like that they’re filtering your data, there’s nothing you can do.
Another thing to consider is startups. Let’s say you have company X, and you come out with a new online service that directly competes with internet provider P. Provider P could slow down or even block traffic from your X, preventing it from getting off the ground. End result: X doesn’t get enough business and dies. Provider P retains its monopoly power. Wash, rinse, repeat.
If this sounds too dystopian and fanciful, a few quick web searches will show you that US internet providers have *already* been doing these nefarious things. With Net Neutrality’s repeal things will only get worse.
| Read the first novel of the Worldmender trilogy King of Shards free now when you subscribe to my newsletter. | Read Queen of Static now, the follow-up to the groundbreaking novel King of Shards. |
 |
 |
