Pub. 14 2017 Issue 3

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S 14 Net Neutrality Under Fire By Mark Anderson, Legal and Legislative Assistant, New Mexico Bankers Association N et Neutrality. It’s a term many of us hear on occa- sion, but we often don’t know the full context of it. Net neutrality can be defined as “the basic principle that prohib - its internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites you want to use.” The internet has become such a prevalent part of our everyday lives that the tenden- cy is to take it for granted. We use the internet for both work and personal use, to receive tidal waves of information on a variety of subjects, and to keep in touch with friends and family. As of now, the company that provides your internet service cannot control what you do on the internet. Net neutrality prevents internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon and Comcast from restricting users fromvisiting certain websites, slow- ing down certain websites, or redirecting users fromone website to another website the ISP may prefer. Net neutrality also provides an environment where wealthier companies such as Facebook and Goo- gle can’t simply buy off ISPs to provide super ior ser v ice and speed ing up access to their websites in order to bury potential competitors or slow down websites that these larger companies may deem objectionable. Net neutrality essentially allows the internet to be an even playing field. But net neutrality, something that is widely favored by the American public, is currently under fire, specifically from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai. In 2015, the FCC voted to regulate ISPs, strengthening the principles of net neutrality. However, under President Donald Trump and his chosen FCC chairman, Pai, those rules of net neutrality are in danger. Pai is an advocate for less regulation on ISPs, which would be great for companies such as Comcast and Verizon, but a negative for the average internet user. According to an article from The Guardian, “Pai argues that the broadband market is more competitive than the search engine market, despite the fact that 76%of people have either zero or one fixed ISP offering industry-standard broadband speeds. Google might have a huge market share, but there aremany other options available to anyone with an internet connection. Many Americans have just one option for their home broadband provider.”