The Fight for the Web is Not Over

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A reference to the Gadsden Flag (Don’t Tread on Me) made by DeviantArt. https://danlev.deviantart.com/journal/Protest-and-Act-Now-Save-Net-Neutrality-717961509

Aidan Simpson, Staff Writer

Late last year Ajit Pai, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) chairman reappointed during the Trump administration, began work trying to repeal a set of ISP (Internet Service Provider) regulations called Net Neutrality which states that all information on the internet is considered equal, making the internet an easy place for business to thrive and people to explore and learn as they please (check the links at the bottom of this article to learn more about Net Neutrality.)

Towards the end of 2017, under the guidance of Ajit Pai, the FCC decided to end Net Neutrality much to the dismay of nearly everyone as, for seemingly the first time, almost all internet users who valued their freedom took to platforms like Reddit, YouTube, 4chan, Twitter, Facebook, and a myriad of other sites to fight, but that fight all but died as time went on, or so we thought.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018. This day took many people who were not following the path of the FCC or Net Neutrality as on this day the Senate finally listened to the people, reigniting the fight for a free internet. The Senate voted 52-47 against the FCC’s decision to repeal the Obama era law. This, however, is only a step in keeping the internet free, but the step was a major one.

This fight is one of momentum where one side could easily gain the advantage if the public forgets. The ISPs that are fighting against Net Neutrality, like Verizon and Comcast, want the process to be slow as to allow the public to forget about Net Neutrality as a whole. The next step after the Senate is The House of Representatives. If this next step fails, Net Neutrality will end on June 11th unless something is done to stop it.

Want to learn more about keeping the internet free? See the following links:

Fight for the Future: https://www.fightforthefuture.org/

What is Net Neutrality: https://www.alltheedge.com/opinion/2017/12/13/what-is-net-neutrality/