Net Neutrality is a basic trust held by our providers and their customers, so when we surf the internet, no website gets an unfair advantage. This may come to an end.  On December 14, the Federal Communication Commision will vote whether to forgo Net Neutrality.

Private citizens have organized and started petitions to fight back. The fall of Net Neutrality will affect everyone here at Hoover, since most homework is currently done by computer.  Can you magine Google Classroom slowed to a halt because you didn’t pay the correct bill.

If the vote to overturn goes through, businesses can bill their clients based on the websites and services they would like to recieve. For example, there could  be a social media category that doesn’t cover a work category. Powerful businesses could pay more to receive higher quality internet while small businesses, that can’t afford to pay, are left in the slow lane. This creates a monopoly where there is no competition and the conglomerates dominate industries.

Net Neutrality doesn’t only affect the economy, people of color trying to organize events may hit roadblocks. If a provider deems the information inappropriate, the website may be blocked to all subscribers. For people of color, with little form of mass communication, this can be devastating. Protests and other forms of public outcry might be stopped with a click of a button.

Net Neutrality wasn’t given.  It was fought for by those that believed that the internet was for the people not a forum for industry to siphon money from its clients. Don’t give it up without a fight, go to http://act.freepress.net/sign/internet_wake_up_destroy/?source=what and sign up on the online petiton.