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The Internet And The Internet

Decent Essays

The Internet, additionally known as the World Wide Web, is a fairly new concept to the world, and to many people who have only been familiar with information originating from a bound encyclopedia. In America, internet access is widespread and accessible to a large majority of people. So long as you have a capable device and stable connection, all the information you can (or can’t) think of is at your fingertips - quite literally! Mobile devices are becoming a highly common commodity, particularly in light of the massive increase in the use of technology in public settings, such as schools and businesses. A recent development in the regulation of the internet has made waves in the community of an internet-accustomed generation of people: the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission’s 3-to-2 vote to repeal net neutrality laws.
Enacted by Former President Barack Obama in 2014, net neutrality refers to “the principle that Internet service providers must treat all data on the Internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication,” according to Wikipedia. Essentially these laws are used to prevent content from being discriminated against, especially if that content is not as popular as other content. Many are outraged at the repeal of these laws, calling the act “a war on the lower class” or “a modern day form of censorship.” This plan to repeal these laws did not garner much attention, specifically because of the general public was mostly unaware that the laws even existed in the first place. Unfortunately, this lack of awareness cause there to be little backlash at the first mention of repeal. Gradually through major social media platforms, such as Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook, attention was drawn to this incredibly important set of laws. People began changing their profile names and “bios” to hashtags in support of the laws.
Headed by Republican Ajit Pai, the Federal Communications Committee, or FCC, consists of 5 members: 3 Republicans and 2 Democrats. On Thursday, December 14th, these 5 voted whether or not to repeal the net neutrality laws. Each party voted as expected, ending in a 3 to 2

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