How repealing net neutrality could change apps and websites

Congress, under the Obama administration, passed the net neutrality regulation in 2015. This barred internet providers from altering traffic on specific apps and websites. Under the Trump administration, the FCC could repeal the regulation, and it has been a top priority for the new head of the FCC, Ajit Pai.

Critics of the possible repeal say it will give internet service providers the power to view customers’ internet use of websites and online services. Meanwhile the phrase “net neutrality†picks up steam on some of the very websites a repeal could change.

“It gives everyone equal capability to reach out to the resource and also put their own websites on the internet in respective of their status in terms of how large their companies are,†University of Memphis professor and chair of the computer science department Sajjan Shiva said. 

Net neutrality enforces equal treatment of Internet service providers towards their customers regardless of the company’s status, Shiva said. 

Providers like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T would be able to block and charge their customers extra based on their usage and potentially negotiate higher and lower prices compared to small businesses, Shiva said. 

Shiva also said the repeal would allow providers to choose what content customers can and cannot see. 

“For example, if you go to Netflix, Netflix will have the choice of streaming towards you the programs of their choice at a higher speed and priority compared to other programs you might see on Netflix,†Shiva said. “Amazon can make the Internet show their products much, much earlier and easier to use when you log in, compared to other’s products, so it brings in it an asperity among various users of networks and users of Internet.â€Â 

Shiva does not think the repeal should happen because companies would mistreat customers and the content they see.

Shahidah Jones, member of the Memphis Grassroots Organizations Coalition (MGOC) and Black Lives Matter (BLM) Business Chapter, said the repeal would help bigger companies and limit access for users. 

“As a repeal of those rules will basically allow for the development for what slow and fast lanes of service is, that gives companies the ability to limit access to certain sites, giving the edge to bigger companies who will be able to determine who has access to what,“ Jones said. 

Jones agreed the repeal should not happen, and said the repeal does not support the missions of MGOC and BLM. 

“Freedom of choice is the greatest freedom, so everybody should have access to quality Internet service,†Jones said. “They [customers] should have access to sites and those sites shouldn’t be dictated by corporations or people with money, nor should your lack of access or money be the reason why you have to deal with lack of access or slower Internet speeds or have choices made for you.â€