As advertising and PR professionals, we are in favor of the FCC’s proposed regulation on net neutrality. This piece of legislation will help ensure that the internet remains open and free. Keeping the internet “open” will have lots of advantages for internet consumers in the United States. It will mean that they will be able to browse to any site they want, at any time, because the regulations will prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking sites. The regulations also prohibit the creation of internet “fast lanes” that treat wholesale and retail customers of ISPs to different traffic speeds. This way, customers of ISPs like AT&T, Verizon, or Comcast will enjoy the same speed, quality, and performance, whether they are private households or content servers like Netflix. In other words, all internet traffic will be treated equally, with no subset of consumers given priority over any other, and no one receiving preferential treatment (Downes, 2014).
Ensuring that all ISP subscribers have equal and uninhibited access to the fruits of the internet will make enhance the competitiveness of internet companies. Since consumers will have the freedom to demand more and better services, the regulations will increase the quality of the services offered by these companies. They will also lead to more investment and more innovation.
The FCC regulations will also protect the free speech of internet content creators, by allowing them to develop their products and services without having to seek permission from ISPs. Many content creators rely on the openness of the internet in order to create, share, and monetize their work. Much of the art, music, educational resources, and other products that internet users are able to freely use and enjoy would not exist without an open internet. The FCC regulations will guarantee that content creators will continue to be able to innovate and that internet users will continue to be able to benefit from their creations by lowering the barriers to access (Henn, 2014).
References
Downes, L. (2014, November 25). How Netflix Poisoned the Net Neutrality Debate. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrydownes/2014/11/25/how-netflix-poisoned-the-net-neutrality-debate/#1c8aa51742f8
Henn, B. (2014, September 15). Over 14,000 Video Creators Sign on to Petition to Protect Net Neutrality. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from https://www.publicknowledge.org/press-release/over-14-thousand-video-creators-sign-on-to-petition-to-protect-net-neutrali
