Net Neutrality Repeal Vote [How To Protect Your Rights]

The FFC have announced that they’ve voted to repeal Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is the ruling which protected American consumers from harmful practices from their ISPs including connection throttling.

Commissioner Brendan Carr from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced this to be be known as a historic move forwards for freedom, consumers, and innovation, as he voted to obliterate the Net Neutrality ruling.

What is Net Neutrality?

Net Neutrality is the ruling put in place under the Obama administration which required that all internet service providers (ISPs) treat their consumers equally, regardless of the website’s content, data usage, or commercial interests of the ISP.

Net Neutrality protected users from harmful practices such as connection throttling, wherein a user’s bandwidth speed becomes slowed down at the will of their ISP, and exorbitant fees.

How the vote to repeal Net Neutrality will impact the internet?

However, now that Net Neutrality has been obliterated by the FCC, a user’s ISP would have the power to monitor their online activity, throttle connections when they visit sites using too much data, or simply block access to certain sites that are not in line with their commercial practice.

Users who stream media online could soon become subject to exorbitant internet fees, and small online retailers and businesses are likely to be affected the most, as very few small startups would be able to afford the increased costs.

Yet, somehow the FCC maintains that this move would enhance consumer freedom and innovation.

Michael O’Rielly, another FCC Commissioner, stated that the internet will survive without Net Neutrality and that this decision will not shut down the internet.

In addition, O’Rielly noted that the former Verizon employee and current FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, stated that the restrictions of Net Neutrality placed upon ISPs were stifling the industry and curbing their ability to be innovative.

Net Neutrality and you

However, the internet has never been as crucial to users’ everyday existence.

Consumers need the internet for performing daily tasks, working, entertainment, and keeping track of the world around them.

Once a consumer’s internet connection becomes jeopardized this will severely affect their capability to perform work, and more dangerously, it will cut off their access to the world’s biggest information source.

Once a consumer has no internet connection, due to vague and ambiguous policies from their ISP, the FCC’s latest ruling will essentially cut them off from the world around them and their ability to participate in it.

In fact, many have posed the question of what dark plans follow once Net Neutrality has been obliterated.

Essentially, the FCC has obliterated one of the most basic protections necessary for modern life. So, what exactly are they planning?

Why Net Neutrality has been obliterated?

According to FCC Chairman Pai, consumers have nothing to fear, except the future we haven’t discovered. However, this placid reassurance does little more than ring hollow to thousands of American consumers whose internet access could soon be severely restricted due to exorbitant fees.

So far, the only parties who stand to benefit from this latest decision are the companies that provide American consumers with internet connectivity (ISPs). That’s because they can profit hugely now that internet costs are no longer regulated.

This move has been characteristic of the Trump administration so far, where the only parties benefiting are large corporations, who did not necessarily need the benefits. Every day citizens and average American households and their needs are becoming more and more forgotten.

To make matters even worse, Pai released a video where he explained the impact of life without Net Neutrality. Pai states that a consumer can still browse memes, use social media, and watch YouTube videos.

However, the FCC chairman remained ominously quiet when it comes to things like monitoring news platforms and educating yourself about current events, as well as communicating with friends, family, and your workplace.

Jessica Rosenworcel, an FCC Commissioner was less ambiguous. She confirmed that once Net Neutrality is obliterated, ISPs will be allowed to discriminate between consumers at will.

ISPs will be able to block certain websites, censor content, and even throttle a user’s internet connection. Rosenworcel added that current FCC data suggests that the ISP industry is not competitive.

This means that users will have little choice to switch between ISPs once their service provider has started targeting their internet connectivity.

How to avoid being blocked or throttled

The only thing left open to US consumers is to start using a virtual private network (VPN) service. VPNs can be hugely beneficial to users falling under increasing scrutiny from both their ISP and governmental agencies.

By installing a top-notch service like Private Internet Access, a user’s online activity becomes encrypted in such a way that third parties cannot view the user’s activity. In fact, no activity from the user is stored on any server, which means that all online activity is private and cannot be intercepted by third parties.

Therefore, your ISP cannot monitor your activity online. And it will be hardly possible for them to block or throttle your connection.

In addition, PIA could provide the user with a much quicker and more stable connection. Something which will be vital to maintain as the US’s internet policies continue to become more and more ambiguous and offer its citizens less and less protection.

---