What You Can Do To Help Save Net Neutrality

Published:

By: Drew McManus

In: Web Tech

As arts managers, we should all be very concerned about net neutrality, the series of FCC regulations that limit internet service providers, or ISPs (think Time Warner, Cox, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, etc.) from restricting, or even blocking, content for pretty much any reason they see fit.

Net neutrality managed to dodge a bullet in 2015 but the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, Ajit Varadaraj Pai, would like to gut those rules and allow ISPs to charge users tiered fees for so-called “fast lane” traffic; those who pay get their content delivered at speeds you’re currently accustomed to experiencing. Those who don’t, see their sites slow to a crawl at a newly defined “baseline level of service.”

The reason why net neutrality matters are if these changes go into effect, arts organizations can expect to see their website pages load slower, which means fewer conversions, fewer tickets sold, and lower revenue.

Of course, you can assume everything will be fine and ISPs can be trusted to maintain net neutrality all on their own. You could also try to double your department’s budget by betting it all* at the nearest casino.

net neutrality

Why risk gambling either?

Fortunately, there’s something you can do by way of sending feedback to the FCC letting them know that arts organizations, nonprofit and for profit alike, would be placed at risk if net neutrality laws are changed or the FCC reclassifies ISPs to a designation with far less regulatory oversight. This was a remarkably effective tactic in 2015 and if nothing else, the current political climate has demonstrated that participation matters.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver recently launched a service to make the feedback process much easier for you in the form of a simple URL: gofccyourself.com.

Once there, you need to select the “+ Express” link located toward the top, right hand side of the screen. From there, you can complete the form and include your message. Please feel free to use the following template as-is or edit as desired.

I’m writing to urge the FCC to scrap its plan to allow Internet Service Providers to charge for preferential treatment. These rules would destroy net neutrality. I urge the commission to throw out any such plans and instead reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service. I also urge the commission not to reclassify it under Title I of the Communications Act of 1934. This is the only way to maintain real net neutrality.

[button link=”https://gofccyourself.com” bg_color=”#eb4c41″ border=”#eb4c41″]Submit Your Feedback To The FCC[/button]

Learn more about the issue via Oliver’s segment from 5/7/2017

YouTube video

 

*Seriously, don’t do that.

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Postscript: in case you think ISPs don’t see this recent effort as their best bet in years to destroy net neutrality, take the time to read this article at zdnet.com by Zack Whittaker about efforts from anti-net neutrality groups to crash the FCC’s feedback form. h/t Anthony Detrano; a genuine arts hacker and arts administrator extraordinaire!

Drew McManus
Author
Drew McManus
In addition to my consulting business, I'm also the Principal of Venture Industries Online but don’t let that title fool you into thinking I'm just a tech geek. I bring 20+ years of global broad-based arts consulting experience to the table to help clients break the cycle of choosing one-size-fits-none solutions and instead, deliver options allowing them to get ahead of the tech curve instead of trying to catch up by going slower. With the vision of legacy support strategy and the delights of creative insights, my mission is to deliver a sophisticated next generation technology designed especially for the field of performing arts. The first step in that journey began in 2010 when The Venture Platform was released, a purpose-designed managed website development solution designed especially for arts organizations and artists. For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, lead a team of intrepid arts pros to hack the arts, lead an arts business incubator, and love a good coffee drink.
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