Why you should care about Net Neutrality?

What is Net Neutrality? In short, it is a way of stopping internet service providers from making extra money from you unfairly. Less cynically, the providers of your home internet have to treat all websites fairly. If you are a large multi-million-pound video streaming company like Netflix, your data makes its way to your device in the same way as a small start-up, this is the essence of Net Neutrality and allows most of the world to communicate freely and fairly.

Recently, the Republican Party in America have voted to repeal Net Neutrality, the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been lobbying for this for years, but why? Two major reasons; firstly to access their customers’ private browsing habits. For years while big companies like Google and Facebook have been accruing personal information about you, the ISPs have been banned from doing so. You can simply choose not to use Google or Facebook, whereas in America some areas do not have a choice in their internet provider as we do here. Analysing your browsing habits to better target advertising, and inform companies of your preferences arguably helps companies provide better, more relevant services (and importantly makes them more money) but at what cost? Searching about or even posting on Facebook about a family members Cancer struggle could be used to work out that your family history means you are potentially more likely to be affected and pass this information, for a fee, onto Medical insurance companies to affect your coverage. All a minefield that I’m not going to get into with this article but something society seems to have accepted as part of the ‘free’ internet. We may well regret this acceptance hugely in 20 years. For the context of Net Neutrality, the ISPs are just arguing for a level playing field against the internet giants.

The effects of the second reason is potentially going to be seen quicker. The guiding principle of the internet since its inception has been the right to communicate freely, protecting free speech. Net Neutrality was born from this ideal and laws across the world (but not everywhere) protect this. Now, it seems likely that once the FCC (Federal Communications Commision) reverses this in America, ISPs will be able to decide if certain services like Netflix have an advantage over another competitor. This could be seen in the form of a faster ‘super highway’ for those companies that are able to pay for it. This could kill off disruptive technologies and the little start-ups with big ideas but small budgets. The ISPs say they will not do this but there will be nothing to stop them in the future once successfully reversed. Even if they don’t make it as obvious as a faster connection for the large companies they may decide that Netflix doesn’t count towards your monthly data usage on your smartphone or home devices. It will not help small businesses despite what Trump professes.

Watching American politics unfold over the last year has been like watching a bad sitcom, unbelievable at times. So while Net Neutrality is being reversed across the water Europe is still keeping it. While Brexit looms it would be surprising, but not certain, that the UK would adopt to keep the same policy. So why I am concerned? If companies in America are forced by their ISPs to ‘pay to play’, we know for sure this cost will be passed to consumers. It would be inevitable that costs incurred by Netflix would be directly passed on to it's users outside America too. Worryingly if this model is seen to help big businesses make larger profits and potentially perceived to help that countries economy (despite killing innovation), it is possible we could see these principles trickle down to Europe. So while it might not affect us immediately the ripples of change and increased costs will be felt sooner rather than later.

While I use companies like Netflix to illustrate the changes, it could give larger ISPs in America the ability to filter news and therefore free speech. Small media outlets that represent minorities, whether religious, ethnic or the LGBTQ community could have their fight against discrimination hindered. Again the ISPs say they will not do this but why then have they spent the last decade and large sums getting to this point? I strangely hope the motivation is simply financial rather that political but the two are rarely mutually exclusive.

In extreme cases around the world, places like China have ‘The Great Firewall’, a means of controlling the information its citizens receive, blocking non-sanctioned news or services. This extreme form of censorship to control a nation is not where I think the reversal of Net Neutrality will take America but more subversively it can legalise the manipulation of what information is prioritised. We have seen how manipulation of ‘news’ via Facebook has influenced the American election and I’m sure Trump has had it explained to him this could fix his ‘Fake News’ situation. Is it too far a stretch to believe the White House could demand the ISPs to restrict news sites like Trumps nemesis the ‘Failing’ New York Times?

While the first battle of Net Neutrality's reversal has been won the war continues, it will take a while to see if it prevails but the signs are not good. Some European economists are less concerned and believe that if America makes it too hard for new startups, we will see a migration of that talent and entrepreneurialism here. I hope so but the American market is a huge online consumer that no self respecting online service can ignore and Silicon Valley isn’t going anywhere fast.

I will continue to watch with interest even if it has not sparked European social interest. Now you know your Netflix bill could increase it might make you read on next time you see Net Neutrality pop up on your Facebook feed. Even though the reason Facbook decided it should 'pop up' should concern you much more.