Net Neutrality is the liberty of a person to access the internet without any interruption from the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Today, the whole world is dependent on the internet. The major reason for this dependency is the availability of open internet or net neutrality. It is because of the open internet that we are able to browse anything under the sky without having to seek the permission from the ISPs like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast.
Some people call net neutrality as the freedom to use the internet. All the innovations witnessed by the world had happened because of this freedom. The free and open internet is essential for all the sectors in our economy. On net neutrality, we will be solely responsible for choosing a particular website or content. If this freedom is taken away from us, we may no longer be able to access the internet the same way we are using now. The ISPs will then provide access to those contents which they approve of.
If the net neutrality gets banned by the government, it will, in fact, affect the growth of our economy. The various sectors of the economy such as business, education, marketing, etc., depend solely on the open internet.
Why Do We Need Net Neutrality?
- The advent of e-commerce happened because of the availability of free internet. The majority of the large-scale businesses had initially started their journey as a small-scale venture. Without access to an open internet, no small-scale businesses will be able to put up their online stores free of cost.
- In the absence of net neutrality, the ISPs will get the full liberty to decide the type of content to be allowed to be accessed. They can also charge unfair and huge prices to get the access to the particular websites.
- Social media websites like Facebook have put up their websites easily because of net neutrality. In the open internet, if you have the creativity and talent, you can create and publish a website easily. If not, the approval for your content will have to be given by the ISPs and hence, the execution of your idea might get impeded.
- Many educational institutions have embraced the use of the internet mainly because of net neutrality. If the access to the online resources comes with a price, not all the institutions will be able to afford the costs.
- In every country, there will be a minority group like the religious minorities, indigenous people, LGBTQ community, etc. The only platform for these people to get free access to education and other services is the internet. If the net neutrality is taken away, these minorities would be denied of their basic rights by the deciding authorities.
- Freedom of speech and expression is one of the major advantages of an open internet. We do not have to hesitate to put forth our opinions and comments about anything and everything in this world. But if the ISPs are made the deciding authority, then our liberty would definitely be denied. Any opinion or comment to which they do not agree will get immediately blocked from the internet.
- New innovations are always welcomed in an open internet. If the product created by a person is good enough, it will be promoted by the users all around the world without any hassle. But if we have to pay to access the internet and exhibit our creativity to the world, then no further innovation will come into the limelight.
- The number of online healthcare options and treatments for low-income people also will decrease in the absence of net neutrality
- The voice of the online media, which keep the world informed about what is happening in and around them will get stifled if the ISPs are provided with the censorship authority.
- Racism is one the major problems in some parts of the world. The people who are discriminated and tortured for their color depends completely on the open internet. It is through the internet that they express their feelings and emotions to the world. If the complete rights of the internet access are given to the ISPs, they will easily block their contents and suppress their rights.
In fact, net neutrality is very important to us. The abolition of net neutrality will actually be the abolition of our basic rights. If the idea of open internet or internet freedom is taken out of our economy, then no further innovation or social media platforms like Facebook will be witnessed by the world.