The President is calling on the FCC to protect what he calls ‘Net Neutrality’ to safeguard consumers, something which failed to be passed last year. The rules that the FCC have suggested, however, seem to be too in favor of internet carriers. Last year the FCC was ready to pass laws which basically stated that providers, such as Comcast, could charge more for higher amounts of traffic, charge companies that provide the content higher fees, and charge consumers higher fees. This would essentially mean people need to pay more to use more data. This seems to be the first step towards regulating content on the internet.
80% of consumers have just one choice for broadband access, whereas with phone providers, there are several options. If Comcast tells consumers that their charges will be increasing, they have no choice but to pay, as they have no other options! Until there is true competition in broadband, carries shouldn’t be allowed to dictate terms and control the market. If service providers like Comcast continue to get their way, companies will need to pay fees to transfer where there previously were none. If they don’t pay, ability to send data to their users – the consumers – will be limited.
If these rules truly safeguarded the consumer, then providers wouldn’t be able to dispense of their lower level service packages. Not all consumers can afford the higher priced packages, and many simply don’t need the amount of data provided with bigger packages. Last year, when the FCC was close to passing a set of rules that worked largely in favor of the carriers, the anger of consumers caused them to pause and hold off on passing the rules. The majority of consumers are not seeking out free internet or data, they simply wish to be presented with options that make sense for any economic background – basic internet should be provided for as low as $20 and as high as $100 or more. The simple fact is that consumers deserve an option, and ISPs shouldn’t be able to dictate the high range that would be mandatory to use services.
Want to better understand what net neutrality will mean for you? Give us a call at (831) 753-7677 or send us an email at info@alvareztg.com. Alvarez Technology Group is the leading IT consulting firm for computer and business IT support throughout Monterey, Salinas and Bay Area California.
