Chip Somodevilla/Getty
After the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal net neutrality regulations on Thursday, reactions on Twitter were strong.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Many despaired about the possible end of access to a free and open internet, while others urged neutrality supporters to not give up the fight by calling their representatives in Congress and keeping an eye on the various state governments and advocacy groups that are planning to sue the FCC.
Advertisement
Even before Thursday’s vote, people were warning that you might have to pay an itemised fee to access sites like Twitter if net neutrality – the principle that internet service providers treat all content equally – ends. While technically possible, this scenario is highly unlikely.
After the decision, hyperbole and misinformation were out in full force. Again, one of the most common fears was that consumers were going to have to pay extra fees to access certain websites:
Thank god they repealed net neutrality I mean who doesn’t want to pay more to use their favorite web sites or to have them blocked. Freedom of speech what’s that? #ThanksTrump
— Corey (@Big_CRen) December 14, 2017
Twitter: $14.99/month
Snapchat: $9.99/month
Youtube: $19.99/month
Netflix: $9.99/per movie
Google: $1.99/per searchIf you don’t want to pay extra for your favorite sites you need to be supporting #NetNeutrality
— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) December 13, 2017
The initial debate over net neutrality during the Obama administration concerned regulations protecting websites. Based on prior discourse, there is little to no precedent for the idea that customers would be charged more to reach a particular site.
Internet service providers, if they do change their policies after the repeal of net neutrality, are more likely to charge websites higher fees to reach consumers. This dynamic could end up prioritising more established sites that can afford higher connection speeds, while putting smaller sites at a disadvantage if they don’t have the requisite funds.
Another prevailing sentiment was that much of the population would be losing internet access, perhaps even the next day. Some Twitter users wrote impassioned farewells to the internet – some of which may have been in jest – and even warned that we may return to a less-technologically advanced era.
As Slate technology reporter April Glaser wrote: “It’s unlikely that the internet will change dramatically overnight. Instead, you may start to notice some differences gradually.” Rather than keeping watch over your internet access, it would be more productive to try to observe how quickly certain sites are loading compared to others. Are the bigger sites like CNN or Google loading faster than the ones for your local paper or community organisations?
While it’s difficult to discern whether these Twitter users were genuine or just trolling, it’s important to know what’s really at stake in the net neutrality debate.
This article was first published on Slate
More on these topics: