The internet would become a closed off place where cable and phone companies control what we see and do.  They could do whatever they want to any website that they do not like, such as block them, make us pay more, slow them down, or even shut them down.

Not only businesses, but communities of people would suffer.  For example, LGBTQ+, POC, and any other groups of people who rely on the internet to stay in touch and stay informed.  The internet also helps protect their rights, because by spreading news of anything that has to do with them.

Schools and offices would suffer, too, because they have to pay more money for everyday things.  “Teachers use certain websites to help us learn, and without net neutrality, public schools would not be able to afford that.  It really sucks,” says Shaun Fuller, a strong supporter of net neutrality.

Schools would have to pay even more money for simple things like a school website, and the students may have to pay to go on it.  Students would have a much harder time researching for projects and essays, and teachers would have a harder time making lesson plans.  Classes based around the internet like Tech Exploration would not be able to do what they need to.

Health care providers would not be able to have websites for free either, and all of this just adds more and more money on us and them.  Hospitals would not be able to use the internet to find more information on what they were treating, and if there was a scientific breakthrough, they would not be able to share it with the world.  Even the patients would not be able to go online and look up their doctor or hospital to make sure they are both safe for them and their families.

Some small businesses would not be able to progress because it would be harder for them to get their website with advertisements and information. They would not be noticed.  Big companies like Google would continue to grow, but if there were to be a revolutionary website like Google, they would never have the chance to be discovered.

FCC and ISPs

The FCC is the Federal Communications Commission. They regulate interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.  The board of the FCC is voting on whether or not to get rid of net neutrality on December 14^th.  The president of the FCC, Ajit Pai, is strongly in favor of not having net neutrality.

If the law is passed, modern entrepreneurs will be cut off.  Our progression as a whole will slow down because we may not be able to get to the resources we need to succeed.  This is all because the major ISPs running net neutrality want more money than what they already have.  Ajit Pai is also abusing his power and being bribed by companies like comcast to continue to support taking away our internet freedom.

These days, it is extremely easy to communicate with people all around the world.  If this law is passed, some parts of the earth will be almost completely cut off.  Fundraisers for things like finding a cure for cancer and helping countries without food, would not be getting as much money as they potentially could, because many people would have no knowledge of what was going on and would not be able to donate.  We would be almost going back to a time before the internet exists, almost de-evolution.

It wouldn’t only be the major things that are changed in our world.  Small things like going onto Twitter or Facebook would not happen anymore.  People’s whose jobs are based online, like YouTubers and bloggers would lose their jobs, or not get enough money.  Even artists, both in music and drawing, would suffer, because sharing their work would become a lot more difficult than it already is.

Many students at Glacier Peak are against this, and some big companies are too.  Netflix and Amazon are some of the biggest, and their support in the situation has helped.  One student at GP, Jessica Tshilombo said, “I feel like everyone should be able to do what they want on the internet, to an extent.  If people control the internet, some people wouldn’t be able to work, or afford it.”

Telling anybody and everybody who will listen would be extremely helpful to the cause.  There are still some things we can do to try and stop the law from passing.  There are many sites to go on that give some more resources, like savetheinternet.com and netneutrality.com.  There are also lines to call that send a message to the state senator saying the person is against no net neutrality.  The clock is ticking down, anything anybody can do, they should do.  This affects everybody, and we have to take a stand.