Just when you think big businesses cannot get any bigger, they conspire with the government to regulate when and how we use the Internet. The current regulations on the open Internet allow us to affordably communicate universally via communication networks. Giving network providers the power to charge their users to access certain domains via the web is a policy the government is considering implementing. It is nothing but a cash cow for big businesses, an obstacle for small businesses and another way for the government to monitor what we do online. Some students have a very understanding outlook on the situation. DeAnna Brown, junior aerospace engineering major, believes in this day and age it is difficult to decide where to place regulations.
“Net neutrality is another one of those tricky problems brought on by the information age, and as it grows it is becoming more difficult to make policies on such intangible assets,” Brown said.
Other students completely disagree with regulations on net neutrality. Dominique Land, senior industrial engineering major, said she believes this is a first amendment issue.
“When you give my communications provider the power to delegate the sites they deem fit and also my contributions to the web with additional charges, my freedoms to express myself online are diminished” Land said.
You also have those students who believe that just as other policies have regulations, for some people, regulations on the Internet are necessary. Brooke Ratliff, senior interior design major, said she does not agree with what these businesses are trying to do. However, the government could use a new policy to regulate public safety and reform.
“It could be used as a form of punishment for those who participate in illegal things online such as child pornography,” Ratliff said.
There are many different student opinions on the concept of net neutrality in regard to ways it can be regulated. However, none of those opinions include violating our rights to make big businesses more money or colluding with the government to keep track of what is going on online. This regulation on the open Internet is an obvious attack on our political, economic and individual freedoms. Usually before the government regulates a policy, they argue they cannot make regulations that benefit everyone and they assure the public this regulation is for the greater good and would benefit the majority. Even the biggest of big businesses lose if the government decides to put the power of regulating internet activity in the hands of communication networks. Many businesses that use the Internet as primary communication with their customers are almost guaranteed to lose a huge chunk of their consumer base if their customers are charged just to access their site. From the perspective of a student that relies on Internet access and that attends an institution built on the principles of service and research, this regulation would definitely affect the learning experience. Your options of where you can study will be limited due to the fact that most public place will no longer offer free wifi if they have to pay for you to access certain websites. As it seems, regulating the open Internet has advantages only for communication networks. It will absolutely increase their capital. Maybe it was the government’s plan all along to regulate what we have access to, but they needed a scapegoat to catch the heat when citizens had a negative response. Maybe they suckered communication networks into the deal with promises of the revenue they would obtain, consequently putting them at the forefront of the issue. Whether an issue of politics or economics, regulation on net neutrality is absurd and should not even be considered a plausible option.
