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RE: Net neutrality

in #life7 years ago

Net Neutrality's ending doesn't mean the end of the internet, but it does mean that the gatekeepers (ISPs like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast) can charge content providers like Netflix and services like search engines and social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc...) more to get their content into the "fast lanes", where it is delivered in a more-timely fashion to the end user.

This means those content and service providers may wind up raising rates on all their consumers, or staying free but offering a 'Premium' tier for users who want the best speed.

Big companies like Google, Facebook, and the like won't be affected by this much. They've got the resources to 'spend their way to the top', as it were. Smaller companies though are likely to get hit the hardest. If you're a small operation selling books through your website, you likely can't afford the premium tier the way Amazon and eBay can. If it takes those sites 2 seconds to load on a tablet, but it takes 30 seconds to load yours because you're in the "slow lane", how patient do you think your potential customers will be before they shrug their shoulders and move over to a different site that provides faster service, either because they as consumers or the company whose services they're accessing, paid for the fast lane.

In short: it's a giant win for big companies, and a giant 'screw you' to the consumers and small business owners who are trying to compete in the marketplace. I hope this helps. :)

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Wow, you are really good at explaining things. Thank you!

My pleasure, @xoxomichelle. I try my best. :)