Darius Gallman

Professor Grant
UWRT 1103
10 November 2014
The Effects of the Loss of Net Neutrality on Everyday Life
Net neutrality is the belief that all domains (websites) within the internet
deserve the ability to send information at a reliable and fair speed no matter what
the content is. Net neutrality is often brought up when speaking of free speech and
our 1st amendment rights. The loss of a neutral net would mean the censorship of
certain sources voices on the web. The current issues facing net neutrality come
from large ISPs, or internet service providers, are threatening our net neutrality.
Time Warner and Comcast are two of the companies that are attempting to put an
end to our net neutrality, and inadvertently free speech on the internet. The loss of
net neutrality would mean that site owners would have to pay extra for an internet
fast lane. The problem is that this fast lane isnt any faster that our internet now.
As John Bain said, its like if the speed limit on the highway was 70 mph, but you
could pay $50 to go at 70 mph. Not paying, however, would result in you only
being able to go at 30 mph. You arent paying for faster internet, youre paying
more money for the same internet. A loss of net neutrality will have more effect on
everyday life than most people realize. Prices of products will rise because the

websites that they are ordered from will have to pay more for their internet. The
overall consensus from the sources is that net neutrality needs to be protected, not
only from a moral standpoint, but also a legal one. Loss of net neutrality would be
against our first amendment rights of free speech. This paper will discuss the
effects of the loss net neutrality on the average persons life and why it needs to be
protected.

Keeping the internet an open platform requires the background information

about the topic. That was covered slightly in the introduction, but a more in depth
description is required.
The Open Internet is the Internet as we know it, a level playing field
where consumers can make their own choices about what applications and
services to use, and where consumers are free to decide what content they
want to access, create, or share with others. The FCC seeks to ensure that the
Internet remains a powerful platform for innovation and job creation; to
empower consumers and entrepreneurs; to protect free expression; to
promote competition; to increase certainty in the marketplace by providing
greater predictability for all stakeholders regarding federal policy in this
area, and to spur investment both at the edge, and in the core of our
broadband networks. (The Open Internet)

Now to put these into laymans terms consumers refer to all people that use the
internet. From the businessman at the top of the corporate ladder to the person
waiting in line at Starbucks using the wifi. They are the consumers of the internet
and everything that comes along with it. The businessman at the top of the ladder
is affected by the second (and arguably more complex) part of this passage is the
greater predictability for... area. This roughly means that by making the price for
using the internet non adjustable on a company by company basis, stocks and the
shareholders that own them will remain stable and, relatively, predictable. Control
of a companys internet rates could lead to manipulation of their stocks.

The loss of a neutral net will likely mean an increase in prices for
everything. While there is no evidence that specifically proves this, it can be
assumed. Let Target be the example for use. Lets say Targets internet service
provider is Time Warner Cable. Time Warner wants Target to pay more for their
websites and the people that provide Target with goods. In response to this, Target
raises their in store and online prices for items because it costs more to ship their
produce and goods across the country. Now, instead of $4.99 for generic bread the
price goes up to $7.99 per loaf. This will not only affect eating habits, however.
Gas prices may rise due to oil companies paying for faster web service. If gas
prices rise, everything goes up in price due to shipping costs.

Apart from the corporate threats posed by the end of the open internet, there
is one that would affect many peoples hobbies. Online gaming would be at a huge
risk if net neutrality was lost. Valve is a very popular company that makes and
publishes video games. Their most successful story is an online video game retailer
called Steam. Steam and other online vendors would be royally screwed by the loss
of the open net. If Valve refuses to pay more for the internet fast lane, everybodys
download speeds for games would be abysmal. On the contrary, if they pay for the
fast lane there is a chance that games that are sold on the service would cost more
due to Valve needing to charge more to compensate.

Bibliography

"The Open Internet." Home. N.p., 23 July 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.
Bain, John. "What is Net Neutrality?" Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 10
Sept 2014. Web. 22 Oct 2014.
Nagesh, Gautham, Amol Sharma, and Ryan Nutson. "Court Tosses Rules of Road
for Internet." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 14 Jan.
2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.