Save Net Neutrality

A letter to the reader:

What is net neutrality and why is it important? Net neutrality prohibits internet service providers from speeding up, slowing down, or blocking anything on the internet. Currently net neutrality is in place in the United States, but it could be taken away.

On December 14, 2017 the FCC will vote on a new plan being  proposed about net neutrality. This plan repeals the rules put in place by the Obama administration. By repealing these rules, internet service providers, ISPs, could speed up, or slow down other websites. ISPs could block their customers from accessing websites,  and even charge the customer to access certain websites.

This means that if net neutrality is taken away, it is possible you will not be able to access Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or Snapchat unless your family pays an extra fee to access them. Want to read an article about a celebrity? Sorry, you cannot unless you pay extra to access the site with the story. Want to relax and watch Netflix for a few hours? You cannot unless you pay extra for access to streaming sites. The repeal of net neutrality could even affect your ability to check your emails at home, or your ability to search for jobs online.

As someone who is a future educator, I wonder how will students do their work if net neutrality ends. As a nation we have been pushing students toward using electronics in school and internet in schools. Without net neutrality, how will the future student population access what they need?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are already 50.7 million public school students in the US, and in 2015 twenty percent of school age minors were below the poverty level. These students are already at risk of not receiving a good education due to budget cuts made to schools in impoverished areas, but internet access helps the information they have access to. If that is taken away these students won’t receive a proper education. The repeal of net neutrality will cause further damage to the educations of students in impoverished areas.
I encourage anyone who is reading this to reach out to policymakers, especially those who are part of the FCC. Let them know that repealing net neutrality is not okay. Encourage policymakers to keep net neutrality in place. Our nation’s future freedoms are at risk, and as the future of this nation, it is time we get involved.