Websites across the Internet banded together to make a huge statement to users on Wednesday, by displaying a spinning-wheel icon to demonstrate to Internet users what could potentially happen if the U.S. Federal Communications Commission passes strict net neutrality regulations.
With these net neutrality rules load times of many sites may be slowed down; meaning the internet would be divided into slow and fast lanes. Fast lanes would be for sites that pay broadband providers for a quicker speed and delivery time of that website. Many websites will become virtual slow lanes if they do not pay to have their speeds increased by a broadband company.
Popular websites including Reddit, Mozilla, Imgur, Etsy, Foursquare and WordPress will be participating in the protest. These are in addition to popular porn sites including PornHub and YouPorn and the 25th most popular site in the United States: Netflix, according to Alexa, popular analytical site.
“Consumers, not broadband gatekeepers, should pick the winner and losers on the Internet,” said Netflix spokeswoman Anne Marie Squeo to the National Journal. “Strong net neutrality rules are needed to stop Internet service providers from demanding extra fees or slowing delivery of content to consumers who already have paid for Internet access.”
The main point that these websites are trying to get across to Internet users around the world is that this is what an unfair Internet would look like. Websites that compete with major cable company’s programs could be severely impacted by a lack of net neutrality.
Companies like Netflix, which streams some of the same content that major cable and broadband services provide, could become so slow that they will become virtually impossible to use. Think Netflix is slow now? Think again.
In 2010, the Federal Communications Commission enacted net neutrality regulations to prevent broadband companies from blocking websites and discriminating against any Internet traffic. The federal court struck this proposal down early this year, but the FCC is currently writing a new strategy that would hold up better in court.
This ignited a major response, since this would allow providers such as Comcast to charge certain sites to be in the fast lanes as long as these sites compose payment agreements that are reasonable to the broadband provider.
What is at stake here is Internet freedom. These broadband providers are trading freedom for their own profit, in essence blocking the industries based on the Internet from moving about freely. Advocacy groups including Demand Progress, Fight for the Future, Free Press and Engine Advocacy are all participators in Wednesday’s protest for net neutrality.
“These protests all stand on their own right,” said Davis Segal, the executive director of Demand Progress to the National Journal. “It’s like comparing every rally, every march to the biggest march in history.”
Other Internet protests have yielded positive results, preventing the governments from passing regulations that would limit the sharing of ideas and pictures in the manner Internet users are accustomed to. Hopefully, this week’s slowdown will serve the same purpose, reminding both the government and the people what a great thing the free, open Internet could be.