Obama Net Neutrality

Congratulations internet, the FCC just adopted Obama-backed net neutrality policies that will ensure a free and open internet.

What is the FCC?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the US government which regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. FCC regulation isn’t about telling you what you can see and do, as much as it’s about protecting the rights of Americans in regards to access to communication. Specifically, now it will be able to prevent any one of the media giants from taking over the internet and creating a monopoly.

What is Net Neutrality?

Net Neutrality essentially means that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should enable access to all content and applications, regardless of the source, without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.

Obama and Net Neutrality

The types of policies that get enacted in the US have EVERYTHING to do with who we vote into office. Luckily, President Obama had a long history of supporting a free and open internet and, despite Republican opposition, the FCC is moving forward with net neutrality.

Here is what Obama’s Net Neutrality Achievements mean for the FCC and the internet:

• All content is treated equally. An ISP can’t price out start-ups by making them pay for faster speeds.
• Content can’t be discriminated against. For instance, a service provider can’t block sites that give away their content or disagree with their political views
• It doesn’t mean that everyone gets equally fast internet or free internet (speed and access depends on what is speeds are available from the ISPs in your region). It does move towards recognizing access to the internet, both creating and viewing the content, as a right.
• It doesn’t eliminate trolling. The awful, awful behavior of trolls is part of the price of freedom.

Net Neutrality Wins FCC Vote Due to 4 Million Americans Making Their Voice Heard (Mostly On the Internet)

Here is the official statement on WhiteHouse.Gov

The FCC just voted in favor of a strong net neutrality rule to keep the Internet open and free. That happened because (over four million) Americans across the country didn’t just care about this issue: You stood up and made your voices heard, whether by adding your names to petitions, submitting public comments, or talking with the people you know about why this matters. Read a special thank-you message from the President, then learn more about how we got to where we are today. – Barack Obama