You’re probably reading this for one of two reasons, either you understand Net Neutrality and have a long list of friends and family that aren’t sure what it means (or why they should care) and you’re trying to think of a way to explain it to them. Or, you were sent here by someone that loves you very, very much in that first group of people. If so, you should thank that person. They sent you here because they care about your future and they hope you care about theirs.
There’s an abundance of information out there that explains the details and ramifications of a non-neutral Internet. My goal in this article is to explain to moms, dads, aunts, uncles, or anyone who’s simply not familiar, in an easy to understand analogy, why it’s important that they vocally support Net Neutrality with the hope that they carry that message to their legislators. You see, moms and dads tend to be voters and, in this war to maintain open access to the Internet, voters are our most important allies.
My biggest hurdle has been to find an analogy to the Internet that the mom-and-dad-types can relate to. The Internet is a rather unique medium, with all points of access being bi-directional. TV, radio, and newspapers are all one-directional sources of information and provide only a static view of the information they provide. The Internet is not only a means of sharing information back and forth, it is also a medium for entertainment, for conducting business, for letting average citizens contribute to ground breaking research and even a means to explore the vast reaches of space.
So in the most basic terms; how does all of that happen?
Anyone can put anything on the Internet for consumption. Then, all anyone else has to do to get to it once they know about it is find the address and navigate there. It’s just like going to grandma’s house – you know about grandma and you know where she lives; all you have to do is get in the car and drive there. Luckily, with the internet, we don’t have to mess around with any of that driving business.
So, imagine the roads and highways connecting you to grandma’s house represent the internet. You’ve already paid for the roads via your taxes (your internet service subscription or phone data plan), you’ve already paid for your car (your computer, phone, or tablet) and for the gas in your car (your electricity). And grandma says you can visit for free! How sweet of her.
Of course, other places you might go will charge you – like going to the movies (Netflix or Hulu) – or you might go to the mall to hang out with your friends where the retailers have paid rent for space and hope you’ll spend some money with them (Facebook and other ad-driven services and web sites). But you can get in your car at any time, go anywhere you want, and can travel at the full speed limit (think of the speed limit as the technical limitations to sending data over the internet – you can only go as fast as the wires will carry data). This is how things currently work on the Internet.
Now let’s talk about what the Internet Service Providers want to do and how that would affect your trip to grandma’s house.
The Internet Service Providers want the ability to charge you more; to slow down the services you use that don’t pay their tolls. They also want to be able to outright deny access to competing services or, in the most sinister scenarios, deny access to information they don’t want you to have in order to influence your opinion on important matters. They want control.
In our analogy, they want to put a guy at the end of your driveway and give that guy the power to control where you go, how you get there, and to tack on additional tolls whenever they like. This guy wears a cheap suit and dark sunglasses, carries a clipboard, and has a cufflink radio with a direct connection to HQ.
If the Internet Service Providers get their way and abolish Net Neutrality, you’d have experiences like this each time you got in your car:
Cheap Suit: “Where are you headed today?”
You: “I’m going to see “Everything Explodes III” at Theater 12. It opens today!”
Cheap Suit: “Theater 12 access will cost you another $20 this month. It will be added to your bill. Have a nice day.”
Cheap Suit: “Where are you headed today?”
You: “I’m going to the Mill Side Plaza to meet some friends for lunch.”
Cheap Suit: “Mill Side Plaza isn’t a recognized destination. You’ll have to use an alternate route. Your expected travel time is 3 weeks.”
You: “WHAT?!”
Cheap Suit: “You could get to MonsterMall in 3 minutes.”
You: “They’re right next to each other! Why can I get to MonsterMall so much faster?”
Cheap Suit: “We own MonsterMall.”
Cheap Suit: “Where are you headed today?”
You: “I’m going to visit my grandma!”
Cheap Suit: “Your grandma doesn’t exist. Please select a different destination.”
You: “I know she exists! I just got off the phone with her! Why won’t you let me see my grandma?”
Cheap Suit: “Your grandma is in close competition with our grandma. We can’t let you see her. You might get free hugs.”
Now here’s the kicker – in our analogy “grandma” represents over 23 million small businesses in America and more than half of all U.S. jobs. If Internet Service Providers are allowed to cherry pick traffic that is delivered to you then “grandma,” and all the jobs created by her, will cease to exist because she won’t be able to survive. Your grandma can’t compete with the major chains and retailers that will have secured agreements with the service providers to let their traffic through and not their competitors’. In a 2013 survey, nearly 30% of U.S. small businesses use the internet to sell their products or services. Internet Service Providers will have the power to destroy those business, those jobs, and, with them, our economy.
Ensuring the Internet Service Providers remain neutral in all Internet traffic delivery is vital in maintaining the growth of our economy and the success of our country in this technological age. Stomping on small businesses stomps on our entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll hear the Service Providers make the “That’s not what we’re going to do” argument but ask yourself why they’re fighting so hard for the ability TO do it if they don’t plan to use it.
Please reach out to your elected officials – governors, senators, congressmen – and local small business groups.
Explain to them that if Net Neutrality is not maintained millions of small businesses will suffer, jobs will be lost, and our economy will be destined for another collapse. This is not something that we can sit back and expect to sort itself out. The FCC is working to fight this battle for us, but they need your support and the support of your government representatives. Please use the references below and reach out to your representatives and share your concerns with them.
And, if you think this article might help someone else understand the importance of Net Neutrality please share it with them. Let them know that Internet Service Providers don’t want them to get free hugs from grandma…Or, if it’s your grandma, be sure she knows they’re trying to stop you from coming to get her free hugs. and see how fast she jumps into action.
Resources:
The FCC’s guide to Net Neutrality – Share your thoughts with the FCC; they’re asking for and need your support.How to contact your local representative:- Contact your state Senator – Select your State from the first box.
- Contact your Governor – Click on your state from the list.
- Contact your representative in Congress – Enter your zip code in the box at the top.
- Contact local state legislators – Click on your state on the map.
[Your Representative]
Please help protect the vital role of small businesses and entrepreneurs in our economy by insuring they have a level playing field with a Neutral Internet. Please support the FCC’s efforts to maintain Net Neutrality and prevent Internet Service Providers from restricting or excluding internet traffic they carry based on any pay or preference measure. All internet traffic should be carried equally, allowing our burgeoning technical entrepreneurs to continue to raise this country’s economy.
Sincerely
[Your Name Here]
