by Noah Corman ’18

The Internet is near and dear to many in the United States. Numerous professions rely on secure Internet access, and some even place it in the same category as food, clothing, and shelter as a necessity to life. Just like those necessities, the Internet may soon have a price tag.

Net neutrality dominated the Internet for months, sparking debate on what the outcome of its proposed repeal would be. Its repeal on December 14, spearheaded by Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, caused many to speculate that it would take instant effect; we would soon have to pay for each social media application and possibly even just for Internet use. Others believed the repeal would have no impact.

To clear up any misunderstandings about the topic, the net neutrality rules forced Internet providers, such as Verizon or Comcast, to give all content on the Internet equal opportunity. This means that each content provider, such as Netflix or Instagram or any other website, had to be treated equally and could not be blocked or charged extra. Internet providers also could not slow down service or accept payments in exchange for speeding up service. They had to give everyone a fair and level playing field.

Now, these rules are out the window. Internet providers can charge these companies more money in exchange for allowing consumers access to them. If these service providers opt to start charging fees, it will likely have the appearance of the packages that television channels and networks come in. In the same way that someone has to pay for a bundle of HBO channels, consumers and content providers will have to pay for a bundle that gives them access to various websites or applications.

Although no Internet service providers have raised their prices yet, such actions would negatively affect consumers and content providers. Not all content providers can afford the fees that may soon be looming over them, so many of them would go out of business. Small business would be the least able to afford these fees and would be hit the hardest. These fees would then trickle down to consumers since the content providers would have to make up for their losses by charging consumers more.

A growing number of senators are supporting a resolution to undo net neutrality’s repeal, and a bill has already been introduced. Fifty senators are now in support of the bill, but they need one more senator and a lot more help from the House of Representatives. Although the bill is likely to be vetoed if it ever gets to the White House, this may deter service providers from raising their prices.