Net Neutrality

    Net neutrality. A term I'm sure everyone has at least heard of before. If you are around my age, you remember being in high school or middle school, terrified at the idea that the freedom of the internet could be taken away from you, and even worse you could be charged to access it at high speeds. The idea of this was expressed to you before the you arrived at the realization the internet could even be marketable. You also remember the former chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai, or as I liked to call him, stupid idiot. 

So what is net neutrality? Net neutrality is essentially a principle, it holds that an entrepreneur's novice company should be given the same opportunity to succeed as established corporations, and the ability to access a blog from a high school student should not be infringed upon by making way for advertisers who are more affluent. Like former President Barack Obama said, this allows for the opportunity for the next Google or Amazon and essentially the betterment of society and innovation. 

It is important. Net neutrality is important not only on an economic level, it is also important on an educational level. Defined as by Loyola U., digital equity is "the concept that all students should have access to technology, such as devices, software, and the internet, and trained educators to help them navigate these tools." This principle is immensely important in this age of technology as the internet has profited teachers and students by allowing first-rate information, resources, and expertise to be instantly accessible. Something our country has a history of not having available for its citizens.

TIMELINE 

OCT. 29 2007 - Then senator Obama pledges support for net neutrality if elected president. His position being "I am a strong supporter of net neutrality... [there has been] lobbying that says the [internet] servers through which you're getting information should be able to [gate keep] and charge different rates to different websites... I think it destroys one of the best things about the internet--which is that there is incredible equality there." 

MAY 2010 - Strong net neutrality safeguards are introduced by the FCC, stating internet service providers have no right to put restrictions on users or block websites. Later, the FCC would approve a final version in December, enacting the first internet access regulations in history.

JAN. 2011 - Very shortly after the adoption of these rules by the FCC, a lawsuit filed by Verizon Communications would eventually nullify the order.

JAN. 14 2014 - A federal appeals court negates the 2010 rule issued by the FCC.

JAN. 15 2014 - Signed by 105,572, a user created petition on the White House's We The People platform is born asking the Obama administration to "Restore Net Neutrality By Directing The FCC to Classify Internet Providers as 'Common Carriers'."

FEB. 18 2014 - In response to the petition, the White House reiterates its support for an open and unrestricted internet, but clearly maintains that it is unable to control the rule-making process for an independent organization.

MAY 16 2014 - For a period of time, the public is invited to comment on the rule after the FCC issues a notice of proposed rule-making on internet regulatory structure. 

AUG. 5 2014 - President Obama on net neutrality: "I personally, the position of my administration, as well as a lot of the companies here, is that you don't want to start getting a differentiation in how accessible the Internet is to different users. You want to leave it open so the next Goole and the next Facebook can succeed."

SEP. 15 2014 - The comment session with the FCC comes to an end, seeing nearly four million public comments by the people about net neutrality, more than the FCC has received on any other issue. 

NOV. 10 2014 - In order to preserve net neutrality, President Obama calls on the FCC to adopt the strictest regulations available. 

FEB. 26 2015 - To maintain an open and free internet, the FCC votes in favor of strict net neutrality regulations.

JUNE 14 2016 - A federal court of appeals recognizes that economic growth and innovation depends on an open internet, fully supporting the FCC's strict net neutrality rule.

    So yeah, net neutrality is something that is very important, and must be maintained if we are to continue the ideals this great country was founded upon. In a world where technology is king, net neutrality must remain in place. As shown by the timeline, the power of the people to give their opinion on issues such as this remains of the utmost importance to keep the benefit of the people first.