The debate of net neutrality is back

The debate of net neutrality never gets old. Actually it is time to raise that topic again now that Joe Biden will take office in January. Trump threw out Obama-era’s neutrality rules and now Democrats are getting ready to take back Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reinstate those rules. 

 

So what is net neutrality? Without net neutrality, broadband companies become the gatekeepers of internet. They could block people’s access to certain websites or apps or slow down the internet, and then charge consumers additional fees to speed up the internet. More subtlety, they could also prioritize people getting access faster to their own content and slow down the internet for competitors’ content. For example, if you were using AT&T network, you might find that watching HBO Max is smooth and HD and watching Peacocktv is slow, because AT&T owns Time Warner, who owns HBO, and Peacocktv is owned by NBC Universal, which is owned by AT&T’s competitor Comcast.

 

With the new administration, FCC will reinstate net neutrality protections and take some power off broadband companies’ hands. It will likely be met with lawsuits, but federal courts have always been on FCC’s side. However, we will have to wait for the Senate elections to be over and see if the Democrats will take over the Senate. Otherwise, this fight will go on and on.