What the elimination of Net Neutrality may mean to you

8 years ago

Downsizing to the country? Think about Net access too.

Why the elimination of 'net neutrality' will affect many in small towns or on limited budgets:

America is about to kill the open internet – and towns like this will pay the price
Residents of Winlock, Washington can barely stream Spotify and Netflix. Changes to net neutrality rules are going to make things even worse
London Guardian U.S. 21 November 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...ock-washington

(excerpt) It’s Saturday morning at a café near the museum in Winlock, Washington, and Michelle Conrow is eating brunch while surfing the internet on her laptop. What might seem a banal activity for many is a luxury for Michelle. The internet at her house just outside the town is primitive by today’s standards, with speeds similar to the dial-up days of the 1990s. It took three days to download Microsoft Office to her new computer.

Many of the 1,300 residents in this rural area, which was once the US’s second largest egg producer, report frustratingly slow connections. There’s no binging on the latest must-watch Netflix show or streaming music on Spotify to suit your mood. No quick downloading of a podcast for your journey to work as you grab your coat. No running several devices simultaneously as parents catch up with internet banking or shopping on Amazon while their children chat on social media and watch YouTube videos.

Some have no broadband at all because the only provider, CenturyLink, has maxed out its system and there is a waiting list to get a connection, while others live outside the service area. Conrow and others have been complaining about the service for years. And if the internet’s top regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), gets its way, Conrow worries things may never get better.

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Elmer J Fudd

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

While this may be, I don't think this is the essence of the issue at hand.

Yes, small towns and rural areas don't get the same service options more inhabited places get. That's economics, not political policy. Whether you're talking about availability of internet service, or phone lines, or cable TV or paved roads or water districts or central sewage systems or whatever - live in a populated area to have the best choices. If you're in a small town, not so much. Fast internet service isn't a constitutional right.

Net neutrality is more about free flow of traffic. Netflix is one of the heaviest users of bandwidth - internet service providers need to accommodate the traffic. Without that rule, internet providers like AT&T, or Century Link, or Comcast, could charge extra to the content originators or to customers using that added bandwidth at peak times or, without agreement, simply slow down that traffic to make it less convenient.

Or, Comcast could slow down traffic from competing Direct TV or Dish or Amazon Prime, and tell you could get better service from them directly or by paying a supplement.

The current administration seems bent on changing a lot of existing rules by administrative action and Executive Orders. That's because Congress isn't cow-towing to the president and won't pass his nonsensical ideas. Whatever gets changed can be changed back in due course when the current guy is put out to pasture. So it's not all gloom and doom forever for this or any of the other stupid things they're trying to do.

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User
8 years ago
I just hope he’s put to pasture soon!!!!
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Elmer J Fudd
8 years ago
Did you catch the news item that his advisor Mc Master said he had the mind of a kindergartener?

Pasture won't come a moment too soon.
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
No I hadn’t heard that. I usually listen to the news every day. I’ve avoided it this week though so the holiday could be as stress free as possible. I actually think McMaster is being generous. Even a kindergartner would have more respect for others and the way he behaves publically then that baboon.
seagrass_gw Cape Cod
8 years ago
Elmer - you are reassuring, just like my spouse.
kittymoonbeam
8 years ago
Many of the public comments used in support of ending neutrality were false copy and paste statements and many used fraudulently, people's names and addresses used without consent. Comments by people who have died and therefore weren't alive to write them. There is over 80% public support for keeping the net fair and open to all yet this vote was done to benefit a few large companies.

No you won't see your prices jump right away or be restricted from certain websites, but it will come slowly, slower speeds unless you buy X package. Maybe you have trouble sending email or other information. Wait, the new package fixes all that, it's just a few dollars more........it will be subtle.

Do you want less choice? Why let anyone chip away at the great thing we have right now? Remember when some G mail users couldn't send email and got a message saying can't send g mail? Try our version instead. There never was anything wrong with g mail except a competitor broke it temporarily for some folks to try and get them to switch out of frustration. That's why the neutrality rules were enforced. Neutrality not a bad thing but verizon lawyers will tell you it is.

There's still a chance to defend free internet but we must insist to our reps that they defend it. Don't let corrupt appointed fcc puppets overturn the voice of the people. Free Speech and Neutrality now and always.

What the elimination of Net Neutrality may mean to you

Elmer J Fudd

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