Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Etsy, Netflix, Funny or Die and more fight for net neutrality

As Congress and the Federal Communications Commission seek to roll back rules governing and preserving net neutrality, several major organizations are banding together to save it.

Net neutrality essentially guarantees an egalitarian internet, where all content is served to users at the same speed.

If former Verizon lawyer and current FCC chairman Ajit Pai gets his way, net neutrality will disintegrate in favor of a World Wide Web where sites that pay big bucks to internet service providers are loaded at lightning speed while others that don’t have the means to compete will crawl.

That’s why organizations including Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Yelp, Funny or Die, Etsy, Reddit and even Pornhub are coming together again to defend net neutrality.

Today has been dubbed the “Battle for the Net,” and many websites will feature pop ups that “show what the web will look like without net neutrality.” It’s meant to stimulate a slowed browsing experience, but instead of blocking users or forcing them to upgrade their plans to use the sites, you’ll have the opportunity to send an email to the FCC and Congress in support of net neutrality.

Some organizations, such as Netflix, are also spreading the word through social media:

Organizations including Comcast, Verizon and AT&T have championed the end of net neutrality for several years. As the largest ISPs in the nation, they stand to make even more money if they can users and companies alike to load certain sites faster.

Curiously, AT&T—which opposed the government’s 2015 net neutrality regulations—is also taking part in today’s protests by displaying an alert on its site.

AT&T’s senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs, Bob Quinn, wrote the following in a recent post:

… This may seem like an anomaly to many people who might question why AT&T is joining with those who have differing viewpoints on how to ensure an open and free internet.But that’s exactly the point – we all agree that an open internet is critical for ensuring freedom of expression and a free flow of ideas and commerce in the United States and around the world. . We agree that no company should be allowed to block content or throttle the download speeds of content in a discriminatory manner. So, we are joining this effort because it’s consistent with AT&T’s proud history of championing our customers’ right to an open internet and access to the internet content, applications and devices of their choosing.
[Free Download: 8 ways to boost trust and transparency in your organization.]

In addition to some ISPs asking Congress to take action rather than leaving it to the FCC’s whim, ads from trade organizations, such as the one below, are popping up:

You can find the full list of sites supporting the “Day of Action” here.

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