Net neutrality is the idea that the internet should be treated as a utility, meaning that internet service providers (ISPs) should have to treat all data fairly. This idea, unfortunately, was shut down during the former guy’s term. But Biden promised to bring it back.
Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission under the former guy, summed up the problems with Trump’s “crazy” new rules succinctly: they would
"make it easier for broadband companies to block websites, slow speeds, and dictate what we can do and where we can go online.”
Dave Roos of How Stuff Works explains in more detail why Net neutrality is important:
If you're lucky enough to live in a country that doesn't regulate the information you access online, you probably take net neutrality for granted. You search the web unrestricted by government censors, free to choose what information to believe or discard, and what websites and online services to patronize.
But even in the United States, says Roos,
There is genuine concern that a handful of powerful ISPs have become the gatekeepers of the Internet, picking winners and losers according to the size of their checks. For a web company to get its content to consumers, it has no choice but to go through an ISP [source: McMillan]. And considering that Comcast, Verizon and Time Warner enjoy de facto monopolies in many large cable markets across America, web companies must bow to the local king.
[For example,] Comcast has a history of sacrificing the quality of its customer experience in order to get more money from content providers. Starting in 2012, Comcast got in a fight with Netflix over the amount of bandwidth the streaming video site required from Comcast-owned networks. Comcast refused to upgrade its equipment to handle the increased traffic unless Netflix paid up.
[ . . . ]
If the FCC allows ISPs to charge extra money for access to internet last-mile fast lanes, the playing field of free speech is no longer equal. Those with the money to pay for special treatment could broadcast their opinions more quickly and more smoothly than their opponents. Those without as many resources — activists, artists and political outsiders — could be relegated to the internet slow lane [source: van Schewick].
If you had to choose between watching a sharp full-screen HD video broadcast or a clunking, buffering, blurry clip, which would you pick?
And because a fair and open internet is now so vital to this country, Net neutrality has been priority for Biden.
Reinstating the rules has been a focus for President Joe Biden, who signed a July 2021 executive order urging the FCC to restore net neutrality rules put in place under President Barack Obama, according to Reuters.
However, Democrats couldn’t make those changes until they regained their Obama-era majority on the five-member FCC. Once that happened (in October), they were able to start the ball rolling. As AP reported in early May, Net neutrality is restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers:
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday voted to restore “net neutrality” rules that prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon from favoring some sites and apps over others.
The move effectively reinstates a net neutrality order the commission first issued in 2015 during the Obama administration. In 2017, under then-President Donald Trump, the FCC repealed those rules.
The measure passed Thursday on a 3-2 vote split along party lines, with Democratic commissioners in favor and Republicans opposed.
Net neutrality effectively requires providers of internet service to treat all traffic equally, eliminating any incentive they might face to favor business partners or to hobble competitors. The public interest group Public Knowledge describes net neutrality as “the principle that the company that connects you to the internet does not get to control what you do on the internet.”
Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden has done so much more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected.
What can you do to help?
Your donation will come bundled with others from our Good News community and will show Biden that there are many of us who support him and combine hard work with optimism in our battles for a better America!
Want to do something else?
Rec and comment on these posts to keep them alive at DKos and share them with others who might not realize how great a president Joe Biden has been.
Looking for something else? Here are some other ideas:
This is an entry in my ongoing series Boosting Biden.
Check the comments for more information on how to find other entries and subscribe.
These posts are written by Goodnewsroundup (Goodie),
edited by Matilda Briggs, supported by 2thanks and WolverineForTJatAW,
and reinforced by several other notable Kossacks!
As with all good things, it takes a village.
