Net Neutrality and Social Media: A Fight For Awareness
Internet Activism is a new phenomenon which utilizes the vast network created by the World Wide Web to raise awareness of issues around the world, all at the speed of a router connection. This technique of fundraising has been shown to be tremendously effective. Just this summer, millions of dollars was raised by the viral spread of the ALS Icebucket Challenge. Unfortunately if certain Congressional bills are allowed to pass, the speed and availability of the average router connection is about to drop, perhaps dramatically. I am talking about Title II, and the fight over net neutrality.
What is net neutrality? The Times defines it as “…the idea that the Internet should be an open platform, and broadband companies shouldn’t be able to interfere with your right to access content and services online.” In other words, net neutrality is the policy of keeping a free and open Internet, with no “tiered” levels of broadband access. The main goal of net neutrality supporters is “getting the FCC to redefine broadband as a telecommunication service instead of an ‘information’ one.” In layman’s terms, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) recently published a draft of a proposal–Title II–that would give broadband companies the power of “paid prioritization”, in which people that pay more receive faster Internet. The potential of restrictions on the Internet opens the door for giant companies to monopolize the fastest broadband service, which would choke startups in their early stages because they can’t afford to pay.
To illustrate the full effect of this policy, we look at it through the lens of network analysis. Imagine each router as a node in the giant network that is the World Wide Web, where edges are the speed of the Internet as it relates to each router. With the new policy, edge costs could be substantially lower for those who pay the price, while the edge costs for those who cannot afford it are substantially increased. Companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft–and other giants–would have extremely fast Internet connections because they can pay for the highest tier of speed, so the edge costs for these companies would be very low. Now imagine your home computer is trying to connect to the Internet and browse some websites. The fastest Internet connection is the ideal; and you are looking to buy a pair of shoes. You try to go to the website of a new shoe startup based in California…but the page won’t load fast enough for you! You give up, and go to Amazon and buy your shoes there. The shortest path–which can be computed using Dijkstra’s Algorithm!–will always take you to the companies that can pay the most for the fastest Internet. In our extremely competitive world, startups will fail.
What can you do? Social media (and other sites) have been raising awareness through advertisements on their websites. Tumblr, especially, has become involved with the Battle For the Net; Netflix, Vimeo, Reddit, and Etsy have also participated. Their goal is to get people to comment publicly and through email on the FCC’s online forum, built to discuss the proposed policy. They are using the network of the Internet to spread their message just as the ALS Icebucket Challenge spread. The Internet needs help. Its network must mobilize to disseminate vital information across the world. Each person–each node in the network–can make a difference. So keep your eyes open and your (virtual) pens poised, and be prepared to protest an increase in edge costs!
Links: http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/12/6137619/as-the-wheel-turns-inside-tumblr-and-the-battle-for-net-neutrality, http://time.com/102268/net-neutrality-facts/