#142) Net Neutrality, Anyone?

July 16, 2017

Dear Mr. President,

Since you don't know me very well you are most likely unaware that I am a complete idiot when it comes to technology.  I don't know a megabyte from a megalodon.  I have never used a flash drive. Abbreviations like USB, WYSIWYG, FTP, and TCP/IP mean absolutely nothing to me.  But I do know this: the Internet, much like a public library, is a portal to an entire world of knowledge and it's not just important…it is essential.

I understand that you have appointed Ajit Pai to head the FCC and he is proposing an end to Net Neutrality.  Net Neutrality is the radical concept that all data on the Internet should be treated equally no matter who created it.  Right now the Internet is a level playing field because it is the LAW that all data be treated equally no matter who created it.  This level playing field is what allowed companies like Netflix and Facebook to flourish and grow.  The FCC, however, is proposing a "fast lane" for such giant cable companies as Comcast and Verizon.  So for more money one could get faster service, and conversely, if you aren't willing to pay, then they would have the power to slow your service.

We live at a time when the gap between the haves and the have-nots is getting bigger and bigger; do you really want to be responsible for furthering that divide by letting the people and companies with the most money get better, faster service?  A neutral Internet (like a public library) is one of the few things in our society that bridges that gap.  In case you missed the Occupy Wall Street protest, the 99% of us who don't make a million dollars a year are getting kind of angry…dangerously angry in fact. And something tells me that you're not the man to calm an angry populace.

Communities are changing. You know this.  Gone are the town centers and general stores where people once congregated for news and socialization.  Even newspapers, those stalwarts of a civil society, are fading away.  Now we have the Internet. This wonderful, imaginary place where people can meet and talk, share information and get help.  My town has an on-line group called Front Porch Forum.  It's where you go if your dog is lost, you need a recommendation for a good house painter, or you have an old bike to give away to someone who can use it.  In a place like Vermont where everything is so spread out and thousands of people are house-bound (especially during the long winter months) Front Porch Forum is an invaluable resource.  In other words, it's essential.

As much as I hate to admit it, computers in general and the Internet in particular are here to stay.  People are dependent on them for everything from jobs to grocery shopping to banking to education.  The Internet touches people of all ages and socioeconomic levels and MUST remain equally accessible to ALL.  I can't say it any clearer than that.

Sincerely,

Amy "The People" Beaton