“Net neutrality is hugely important.” said John Oliver on his new show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO.
The loss of net neutrality will lock out new competition from getting a foot in the door, the very thing that made the web so innovative and democratic.
Another horrible thing about the proposed slow lane/fast lane structure for Internet access is that it allows huge ISPs, which already operate as a monopoly/duopoly, to double charge for the same service. ISPs charge customers to use their infrastructure to access the Internet. Now, ISPs would be able to charge web content providers to provide a “faster, more reliable” connection back to those customers.
If it were not for those web services, customers would not pay the ISP. If it were not for the customers, the web service providers would not use any bandwidth. This is just a grab for cash with huge companies like Comcast throwing their weight around. I guess we should expect no less when a former lobbyist heads the FCC.