The Free Internet is Under Attack
The FCC has voted to repeal Net Neutrality, but the fight isn’t over yet.
Protester advocating for Net Neutrality to stay in place.
December 15, 2017
If you’re reading this, there’s a chance you may not be able to in the near future. visiting websites completely free of charge and enjoying fast-speed internet without your freedom of speech being restricted may all be about to change.
The FCC voted to repeal Net Neutrality in a 3-2 vote on Thursday, but the fight isn’t over yet. It still needs to pass through Congress, and advocacy groups such as the Free Press will definitely challenge the FCC in court. But what is it that these groups are fighting for?
Net Neutrality preserves our right to communicate freely online and keeps internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or discriminating against any websites or content that operate on their networks.
Without this law, companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast will be able to control what content or which websites succeed, and which ones do not. An ISP could severely slow down its competitors, block political or social opinions it doesn’t agree with, or charge extra fees to the few companies who could afford it- leaving the rest of the internet in the slow lane.
This would destroy the open internet as we know it. Donald Trump’s FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, is leading the charge against Net Neutrality. Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon, wants to give control of the internet to the very same companies that violated Net Neutrality for years before the FCC imposed its current rules in 2015.
Net Neutrality isn’t just important for being the thing that lets you browse your preferred social media. It is crucial for minority communities to have a voice and communicate with each other from all around the world. Protests and marches are organized on the open internet because ISPs aren’t allowed to block the websites the discussion takes place on. Without these laws protecting these communities, whoever has the most money decides who gets to speak, who gets to have a voice in the world. Don’t bet on them having your best interests at heart.
What can you do to help save the internet? Make your voice and your opinions heard. Email your state representatives today to let them know you will not stand for the destruction of Net Neutrality. Write to your local newspaper on why you think Net Neutrality should be preserved. Voice your opinions on every social media you have an account on. Speak up, and don’t let the cable companies destroy the open internet, throttle your service, and charge you extra for your favorite websites. Go to www.savetheinternet.com for more info and a guide on what to write to your member of Congress and your local newspaper.
The internet is in trouble, and its users need to band together to save it.
Join the fight today.
santana bigley • Mar 15, 2018 at 2:35 pm
The internet should be free. The internet is like the first amendment and it should be protected. To lose the right to have free internet is like losing freedom of speech. In the internet, you can develop your own programs with your own opinions. In the internet you can tweet about what you’re feeling. In the internet, you can see what you want to see. The internet has the right of the press, right of speech, and the freedom of expression all in one. #SaveNetNeutrality is something we should fight for because it shows our voice as a whole.
kellie christnagel. • Mar 15, 2018 at 2:06 pm
i personally think that we all should have access to whatever internet we want, i dont think that they should take away our access to internet services. if they take away our internet and make us pay everyone in this generation wouldnt know what to do because we all rely on the internet.
santana • Feb 21, 2018 at 2:18 pm
They should block the web cites where kids shouldn’t go, and the ones that have something that needs to be paid such as games where kids can take the number of their parents and easily buy something.
lisbethalberty • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:56 pm
I THINK THAT BLOCKING THE INTERNET IS NOT GOOD. BECAUSE IT IS LIKE YOU ARE BEING CONTROLLED. I THINK THAT EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FREE. TO SAY WHAT I WANT,FOR ME, IS LIKE A LACK OF RESPECT.
alisuky garcia • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:56 pm
they should block the web cites were kids shouldn’t go and to be more safe also the ones that has to be with pay something such as games were kids can take the number of their parents and easily buy something.
Brandon • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:52 pm
yes we should have the right to net neutrality
desley • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:52 pm
There should be net neutrality, the internet should be free and accessible, a lot of companies will stop making money, because no one will use the internet. This should be stopped immediately!
Mya Dominguez • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:48 pm
I think and believe that internet neutrality is something the government should preserve. It isn’t something a certain person should have the rights to do just because that person has the big bucks too. I believe that the internet is such a delicate topic due to the fact that half the world uses it.
Kristen Camacho • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:46 pm
I believe all people should have easy, free, and fast access to the internet at all times. Here in America we use the internet for many daily tasks: such as, work, school, homework, simple curiosities, entertainment, find jobs, and more. The average American household has at least one computer desktop or laptop. Computers and laptops don’t even consider phones,game consoles, tablets, and all other sorts of electronic devices that connect to the internet. Charging so much for internet will undoubtedly change the American life as we know it forever!
luke jaijairam • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Net neutrality should be available to everyone. For instance, let’s say we can’t afford to buy textbooks at school, but online you can access it for free so you don’t have to spend so much money on books. Net Neutrality is also good for social media so everyone can have access on the daily lives of other people.
Samuel Flores • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:42 pm
Net neutrality is a huge deal. It would make technology terrible, if it’s repealed. Companies will have to lower and battle to get their money for making calls and texting. Without this law, companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast will be able to control what content or which websites succeed, and which ones do not.
Daniel Labanda • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:41 pm
The internet should be free. The internet is like the first amendment and it should be protected. To lose the right to have free internet is like losing freedom of speech. In the internet, you can develop your own programs with your own opinions. In the internet you can tweet about what you’re feeling. In the internet, you can see what you want to see. The internet has the right of the press, right of speech, and the freedom of expression all in one. #SaveNetNeutrality is something we should fight for because it shows our voice as a whole.
persi chamorro • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:41 pm
I think it is ok to post something online about things you want to say freely.
Aleksandar Stavreski • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:38 pm
I think that everyone who has access to a computer at their home, should have all of the internet unblocked and unrestricted for them. The repeal of Net Neutrality for us means that, we might have blocked websites and have our rights on the internet removed. We the people, should have the same rights on the Internet as in real life.
Alonleoreid • Feb 12, 2018 at 1:36 pm
I think the internet should be free to everyone no matter what, without charge.
Ms. Kelly • Feb 8, 2018 at 9:13 pm
It is time for all students to register to vote (as soon as they can) and make your voice heard. My generation has spoken. We think the internet is a luxury . . . an option . . . but is it really? Can America afford to make the internet inaccessible for the masses? Please read Vint Cerf’s “The Internet is for Everyone.”