god damn. good job everyone calling representatives and the fcc but i have a lot to say. ill start with the most important
if the fcc votes to repeal today
your prices will not immediately skyrocket (also more on this later)
the internet will not shut down
net neutrality won't even be gone yet!!! there's still more steps to the process.
don't drop the issue because you think it's over!!!
for all the social media "awareness" campaigns that got so many people to call their reps, no one seems to understand what net neutrality is????
first of all, if you're so into an issue you're going to start making daily calls to congress, please make sure you understand it first!!!! these past few weeks have made it very clear that if the right words are thrown at people on this site, they will call their representatives in support of something without knowing what it means. people are going to take advantage of that, and next time it might not be for such a good cause
don't put things you know are wrong on your blog because it's in support of the same issue as you!!! fact check things even if they sound like good arguments you could repeat to get friends on board!!! stop with misinformation and fear mongering!!! it only ruins you later when people can look at the arguments we put forth and say "these guys don't even know about the issue" guess what??? we dont!!!
So what is net neutrality????
remember those posts from the last net neutrality battle???? where it described that without it, isps could prioritize data from certain websites and slow it down for others??
yeah, that was the deal. i don't know how so many of the same people talking about it got amnesia and decided to follow the trend of changing the "main issue" (tbh sometimes i think it might have been started by enemies of net neutrality to confuse people) but uh
the main financial burden probably won't reflect on your bill in the way most of those posts tried to make it look
things that are more likely to happen:
your internet becomes slow on certain websites
it's faster on sites your isp owns. more traffic for them
certain sites could be blocked completely, maybe even down to the precision of specific posts. so yeah, they can determine what you are able to access. if they don't like an opinion stated, well, they can sweep it under the rug
your isp asks websites for a fee to provide speeds to them that match their own. yeah, they would charge the websites. could they charge you for "website packs"??? possibly. will that be the first outcome??? im betting not
"so wait is this just hurting the website conpanies??" no. big websites will be able to pay up!!! your startups, your small time bloggers, small businesses, anyone trying to get their foot in the door, that's who's going to suffer the most. they won't be able to pay out, so people get bad connection speeds to that site and eventually give up and go to one of the bigger websites
this, of course, isn't going to hit large social media apps and websites as hard as small businesses. but this isn't any "less" of an effect!!! i don't want to see people months after net neutrality is gone being like "wow nothing bad even happened i guess that was a lot of hype for nothing" because it didn't effect the internet in the way certain posts told you to expect it!!!
ive seen passing mention of title II and i bet if you're following the net neutrality issue you've heard it too!!
title ii is a classification for telecommunications services with a buncha rules they gotta follow
for broadband, net neutrality is one of those rules!!! but heres some more
- isps should clearly state data caps and not have hidden fees. without this, they wouldn't have to tell you what your price will be after the introductory rate runs out. they could sneak fees into your bill and not be clear on when you exceeded your data cap and how much you're charged afterwards until you see the bill. (this is closer to the posts i've seen than the net neutrality part is)
- one part that was killed earlier this year before it even went into action was the one where isps have to ask customers before viewing and sharing their browser histories and all the apps they use!!
- there's a bunch of rules making it easier and more affordable for new or small broadband companies to setup infrastructure. so if anyone's plan is to switch to a smaller broadband company, i have news for you: many could collapse without title 2.
- Lifeline recently expanded to broadband, providing subsidies to the poor for internet access
- requires that the internet is kept accessible to those with disabilities
why is title II important to know about???
- i dont want you to be satisfied when congress comes up with a net neutrality "replacement" that waters down net neutrality and doesn't bring up any other parts of title II rules.
- when you call your representatives (yes, still call them after the vote no matter which way it goes.) try to mention more than net neutrality!!! that's not the only important thing in there and if they see that it's all people are calling about, if they have to make a replacement they will leave out what they think they can get away with!!!
- calling is the most effective, unless your rep has a town hall.
- resistbot is useful and great for people who Cannot call, but stop touting it as a way to accomplish the same exact effect as calling in a more convenient way. if you use resistbot just to save time or because you don't feel like calling, don't. call. it is more effective.
- petitions are nothing except raising awareness. stop promoting them alongside telling people to call as if it's an alternative or accomplishes the same thing.
- when you say "the UN says internet is a basic human right" please include context. it's because the internet is so essential in communications and for things like job opportunities that not having it in a nation that operates so heavily on the internet would be a violation of human rights. without context it sounds, well, misinformed for one, and as if a society is "superior" and "more civilized and advanced" for having "basic human rights, such as internet access"
- there's a reason besides sheer laziness (tho that too) that i didn't link my sources. a lot if those other posts didn't have them. so i am begging you: go to google. do not take my word on this. verify it for yourself. get into the practice of doing this for any political post missing links. and if sources are linked, actually click them and determine if they're reliable.
