Want people to be able to use your website? Well, you’ll have to pay for it. This is what the internet looks like without net neutrality.
Meanwhile, the FCC’s current status on net neutrality is…we’re not sure. The FCC chairman says he’s ‘working on it.’ Obama (in his response to the petition), the DC Court of Appeals, and the Democratic Congress (which has reintroduced a stopgap bill) have all voiced their support for the FCC taking the necessary steps.
My personal favorite bit is from this article:
“The move [striking down net neutrality] – which is split down party lines – has been championed by Republicans as a way to preserve innovation. But Democrats argue that it could open the door to tiered Internet access. The debate comes down to whether the FCC should police violations of this policy or if competition will be enough to make sure that these ISPs do not prioritize some Internet services over others.”
Well, it didn’t take long to see how that one would fall out.
I am spitting mad over this. It’s outright extortion. And maybe it’s okay for Netflix, which has the money to pay these companies off (word is already out that Verizon is looking at chasing a similar deal with Netflix, and why shouldn’t they if Comcast is allowed to?). But how about technology startups whose apps go viral? Non-profit content services, like public internet radio? Hell, what about Wikipedia?
Comcast’s deal with Netflix makes network neutrality obsolete