Net Neutrality will soon affect daily life in schools, at home, at work

It impacts our daily lives, but until recent weeks the majority of people worldwide have had no clue that it exists. But now it is being jeopardized, and it may have a huge impact on the one thing we take for granted: the internet. Net Neutrality is, “the internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online,” according to savetheinternet.com. Without net neutrality, our rights to freely use the internet are controlled by the government, and users will have to pay for every single action that they do on the internet, in addition to TV shows and social media.
Earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commision revealed its plan to repeal Net Neutrality on December 14. “It has become evident that the FCC made a mistake,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said at the Mobil World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, according to CNN.com. Net Neutrality was approved by the FCC in 2015 and was since championed by former president Barack Obama. It was put into place in order for various internet providers to give the same experience to all users, and that no group of people will deliberately have a better experience than others.
But in November, it was revealed that Pai would be repealing Net Neutrality in order to, “end the political uncertainty of internet regulation,” according to breitbart.com.  To critics, it was seen as a public monopoly and that it would take away the freedom of the internet. On the other hand, supporters claim that Net Neutrality encourages internet equality for all users and prevents anyone to be discriminated for one’s internet use. Although the Internet will still exist, the plan to reveal will drastically change the way we use it.
Computers are one of the many tools used here at Central. Websites such as Office365, Turnitin.com, and the Infinite Campus Portal are very widely used by most students. Sometimes, it seems as if the internet is the only option for some schoolwork. With the advancement of technology making free, equal internet essential for the best possible education, the repeal of net neutrality may force schools such as Central to pay more for internet access. If the school does not pay for the internet, then students may have to pitch in to keep the internet alive.
Another possible effect of the repeal of net neutrality at Central is that websites typically available for free and unlimited use would be blocked, which includes both social media apps and essential educational websites (Noodletools, Office365, etc.). Apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube would be either blocked or highly expensive. The inability for many users to use these apps will not only hurt the companies who created these apps, but life with social media will be severely diminished or end as it is known today. With YouTube just recently being introduced to classrooms, its ability for students to watch videos that will benefit their education will almost be completely wiped out. In order for none of this to occur, students and teachers would have to pay much more money in order to keep the internet free to staff and students.
If people vote to keep Net Neutrality, then the internet will continue to work as it normally would. But if enough people vote to continue with Pai’s wish to repeal it, then the internet will drasticly change. For some people, it will be for the better, as internet providers would be able to control how people use the internet, and it would most likely increase their profit. However, for others it will negatively impact their ability to use the internet as one of the world’s biggest sources of information and entertainment today.