Get your attention did I? Good. I have to ask, since I haven't seen it posted here, has anyone heard the goings on of the Net Neutrality situation and the FCC? Well, let me explain it for those not aware.
Net Neutrality basically keeps the internet just that; neutral. You pay a fixed price each month and get the entirety of the internet for that price. Well, in a 3 to 2 vote, the FCC just (this last Thursday the 14th) voted to repeal Net Neutrality.
What does this mean for you? This means the ISP's (those people you pay to access the internet, Internet Service Providers) can basically do what they want. This means that they can sell you internet packages for sites to access. You could potentially have to pay $5.99 for social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Then another $7.99 for streaming sites such as Netflix and Hulu. Then they could charge you for a "premium" streaming package which includes Youtube and Amazon Prime Video.
Beyond that, let's say you have Comcast for internet (a stretch, I know) and want to use Netflix for streaming all your video needs. Well, since Comcast has there own streaming video service, they *could* either slow down or completely block Netflix forcing you to use there service.
Another potential: Let's say youtube wants you to be able to access there content faster than another site. Youtube could pay Comcast (or AT&T, etc) so there stuff loads faster than their competition. This means small upstart businesses (mom and pop business) can't afford to pay to make there content faster than the bigger sites.
This passed 3 to 2 despite millions of americans speaking out against it. We can all thank Ajit Pai, the head of the FCC board, for getting this going. He is also, big surprise, a former Verizon big time employee who has pushed for this stuff before.
So reach out to your senator, congress, the house, anyone you can and speak up about this. Many states, more every day, are suing over this as it is NOT the will of the people.
Sorry for this rant, but I feel it needs to be heard. Have a happy Cub day all
