Net Neutrality
Issue: The internet is the most unique, powerful communication platform in the history of humanity. It creates a global public commons through which we can interact, innovate, and aggregate the sum total of our collective knowledge. However, our access to the internet is controlled by a handful of telecom corporations and most Americans only have one or two options when choosing a service provider.
Per regulations issued by the FCC in 2015, these corporations are obligated not to interfere with the data they connect customers to. This means no company can pay extra to have their website load faster, and no telecom giant can enforce any sort of censorship. This principle is known as net neutrality, and it is essential to maintaining a free, open internet. Of course, Trump’s FCC is determined to roll back the 2015 decision and eliminate the free internet as we know it.
Proposal: In the short time it has existed, the internet has fundamentally altered the human experience. We now share media, information, and communicate in ways we would have thought impossible a mere decade ago. If we are going to preserve the universal benefits and opportunities created by the internet, we need to maintain the level playing field it creates.
Congress needs to listen to their constituents, who overwhelmingly support the FCC’s 2015 decision, and pass legislation permanently codifying net neutrality.
References:
https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/internet-speech/what-net-neutrality