Net neutrality is one of the major issues faced by the new government of the United States recently. Before diving into the depth of the topic, it is necessary to establish a clear understanding of what net neutrality is. Net neutrality or network neutrality is the impartiality on the part of Internet Service Providers. When these providers are unbiased and treat all the information present on the internet as equally accessible and distributable, net neutrality is established. No discrimination based on content, platform, or other variables is done.
In an executive order signed yesterday, U.S president Joe Biden called for the restoration of net neutrality regulations. The main reason behind passing the ruling on establishing net neutrality is the decrease in online competition between industries. The most affected organizations by this ruling will be Big Tech and Big Telecom which will be less powerful now. The ruling will act as an offset to the disability of net neutrality in the US introduced by the Trump government in 2017.
The government says they want to secure the rights of smaller businesses and the need to have their representation. Emphasis is needed on the small-scale businesses that are often overshadowed by the larger competitors. They also need more transparency and accessibility for the consumers, so they can make mindful and attentive decisions.
The FCC will also have to let go of the operations that support directing the traffic of the internet to certain areas. Blocking or paid promotions for the access of content on the internet will not be possible anymore. This had been an issue during the government of Trump.
The order is also inclusive of other customer rights including their right to not be charged excessively for the services they are not using. In the buildings, landlords will not be able to pressurize their tenants to only buy internet from certain internet Service Providers. All these measures will create a more transparent and fairer network system.