Pros And Cons Of Internet Neutrality

As the Internet becomes an even more important part of American lives, a debate has started about its legal status. Some say that governmental regulation of the service will help solve issues that have recently come up. Supporters of this idea call it net neutrality. However, deeper analysis of net neutrality will reveal that it hurts the economy, consumers, and Internet providers while providing little benefit for content creators.
The model of the Internet as it is today is not very simple. Now, content providers such as Google and Netflix have servers inside Internet providers' networks. These severs are called peering connections and they allow consumers to have fast access to certain content (McMillan). Small businesses do not have these
Republicans have led the political battle against net neutrality (“Here's”). Internet providers join these politicians in the fight as well (Brodkin). They now must fight to reverse the laws set by the FCC so that the Internet can remain the same. Without these people, the way people access the Internet would be completely different.
Some opposers to net neutrality fear that regulation of the Internet may allow the government to spy on innocent citizens without people knowing. The government could do this by installing software that claims to monitor ISPs, but actually gather information on consumers (Steimle). With today's lack of privacy already, this extra spying may push people over the edge.
Another argument that net neutrality protesters point out is that net neutrality laws will have little effect. There are very few cases of Internet providers censoring or slowing down legal content (Shapiro). Without net neutrality laws, the Internet has become one of the biggest industries in the world. Since its conception, over one trillion dollars have been invested in the Internet (Wasserman). When dealing with such a large industry, radically changing its structure could have dangerous effects. This makes people question whether or not net neutrality will have the impact it intends to
He believes that net neutrality should be classified as a public utility (Estes). When questioned 80 percent of Americans support Obama's mission for net neutrality. However, 75 percent of Americans are not even familiar with what net neutrality is (Estes). This should make people question whether or not the net neutrality debate is understood by the people fighting in it and encourage citizens of the United States to learn more about the laws passed and how they affect their lives.
For a more educated opinion on open Internet laws, lawmakers could look to content creators. Nearly all content creators that have a voice in the debate show their support for net neutrality because they believe that the price they have to pay to give faster access is unfair (Kloc). With new laws in place, Internet providers are not allowed to censor or slow down content for financial gain (Liedtke). Content creators will be able to grow and develop without fearing