By Señior Tech from the January 2018 Edition
The US FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has voted to dismantle net neutrality rules. The ISPs (Internet Service Providers) will now be able to provide fast lanes and slow lanes for internet.
Loosely translated, if your internet provider is a cable/telephone (Telco) company, your Netflix stream could suddenly develop streaming issues because they are not partnered by the Telco. Your VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, including Skype) may start to break up.
The ISPs have long maintained that they need this so that they can increase their investment in hardware. But the fact is, they use this excuse to further increase their profits, but making sure you pay for their higher-priced content.
Internet speed is already charged at different price points for faster service. Faster speed is charged at higher rates.
Dismantling Net Neutrality is just another profit grab by the ISPs without having to add any value. The ISP’s do not pay for the data they sell, unlike water and electricity which are finite. Once the infrastructure is built, data just flows. The content is provided by the websites looking to attract visitors.
And the ISP’s have tried to charge these websites by using their paying customers as currency. There are documented court cases where ISPs have threatened to cut the customers’ access to websites if the websites did not partner with them. The changes in the rules will now allow the ISPs to legally throttle service as they see fit.
There are several Net Neutrality groups slated to challenge the changes, but pressure on elected officials will be the key to protecting the public from excessive profiteering by the ISPs.
Unlike the gun lobby, no one stands to benefit from this except for the Internet Service Providers and elected officials who accept the lobbyist payoffs. Everyone else, including anyone who has a cellphone, computer, television will pay a higher price for this change in rules. If you wish to see how much money has been spent by the Telecom lobbyists click the following link 2017 Lobby $$$ by Telecom Companies.
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Señior Tech is a technology addict that loves to share tips. He lives in Manzanillo full time and helps keep the community up on the latest tech tricks and toys.
