By Joshua Stair, political columnist
The transfer of power from Barack Obama to President Donald J. Trump will undoubtedly come with many changes, not the least of which will be the politics of technology. The Obama administration modernized the executive branch, bringing the presidency to social media and today’s digital culture. Obama took an Internet-friendly stance on many issues, one of the most important of which is net neutrality. However, Trump and friends are set to unravel this.
Net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers should not be allowed to block or favor specific services or websites, such as Netflix or Youtube. It protects the web’s most important attribute: A level playing field. The beauty of the Internet is the ability for anyone to make a website and reach virtually anyone else, a trait which benefits not only large corporations, but also small cottage industries via Craigslist, eBay and Etsy.
In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reclassified the Internet as a public utility, similar to water or electricity, allowing the federal government to regulate Internet service providers, a major victory for those in favor of net neutrality. In 2017, Trump is poised to undo this progress.
According to Forbes, Trump has officially chosen Ajit Pai as the new FCC chairman. Pai is a logical choice for the Trump administration. According to his page on the FCC website, Pai favors decreased regulation, cuts to spending and an adherence to the law, well in line with the Republican ideology.
The problem is that deregulation is exactly the wrong approach to take with Internet service providers. The major providers often operate as a monopoly within their own service areas. It is nigh impossible to change providers now. Without regulations, the consumer will be left even more powerless, and ensured equal and fair access to the Internet will become things of the past.
As for Trump himself, it is unclear as to whether he understands what net neutrality is. In a November 2014 tweet, Trump described net neutrality as “another top down power grab” and compared it to the Fairness Doctrine, saying it “will target the conservative media.”
Obama’s attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2014
The Fairness Doctrine, a 1940s regulation which required news agencies to present the news in a fair and unbiased way, was removed in 1987 and bears no relation whatsoever to net neutrality.
With Pai as the new FCC chairman, Internet users (aka all of us) can only hope he has a change of heart. If Pai allows net neutrality to die, expect to pay an additional fee to your Internet provider if you want to catch up on the new season of “Orange is the New Black” or check out the newest viral video everyone is talking about.
