Net neutrality was repealed on December 14 of 2017, this vote to repeal changes several things for the internet.

Firstly this repeal allows for internet companies to promote their own services by slowing others down. For example, if Time Warner wanted to make a video streaming service they can now slow down Netflix and Youtube to make their own service more appealing to consumers. This now creates more business opportunities for large companies, while also negatively impacting smaller online companies and customers.

The repeal of net neutrality is an odd case, as almost 85% of voters supported net neutrality, yet it was repealed regardless. Ajit Pai, the chairman of the FCC, has received mass criticism for continuing the repeal despite the large amount of backlash.  Despite all of this Ajit Pai uploaded a video seemingly mocking his critics and disregarding any arguments against him as “haters.”

This however, is not the first attempt at repealing net neutrality, between 2005 and 2012 there were 5 attempts to repeal net neutrality with little to no success. These attempts were met with similar backlash and were abandoned until recently, when Ajit Pai announced his plan on November 24 to vote on the issue.

Net Neutrality affects Jackson-Milton because we use the internet regularly for research papers, projects, STEM classes and CCP classes. The change in internet policy may result in several websites being terminated or altered in a way that would make them essentially useless. Many people are calling senators and legislators in order to voice their opinion on the matter. For more information on how to contact your government representatives visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/?1 or http://ohiosenate.gov/members/contacting-your-senator