In just a few short months, net neutrality went from an insider technology term to a trending topic and web-wide campaign. Monday is the deadline for protesters to comment on the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to end net neutrality.

If that alone doesn’t prove that an open Internet is a thousand times better than a pay-for-speed system, then I don’t know what does. The Internet belongs to the people, and the FCC shouldn’t try to change that.

In case you haven’t heard, the Internet is on the brink of a new format where wealthier companies like Comcast and Verizon can buy faster speeds of data and lower budget websites and apps are left with slower connections.

Thanks to hilarious, yet informative, comedy sketches by FunnyOrDie and John Oliver’s rant on his HBO talk show, people that otherwise wouldn’t have any idea net neutrality was happening began learning about it. A June 4 Washington Post article stated that after Oliver’s HBO rant, 45,000 new comments rolled in and crashed the FCC website. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings even showed his gratitude in a Facebook post last week writing, “John Oliver, we owe you!” All of this was only possible because of the viral nature of the Internet that needs to be preserved at all costs.

Videos weren’t the only form of rebellion. This past Wednesday, thousands of websites including Netflix, Reddit and Kickstarter participated in an online protest by display a spinning icon that represents a slow-loading Internet, with a link to more information about the FCC’s proposal.

This particular proposal is on track to break the record for the most public comments posted on FCC’s website since Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction, according to a Sept. 8 Huffington Post article.  Even if the proposal goes through, Comcast and Verizon should beware that angry commenters turn into angry customers, especially for two companies that are already shaky in the customer service department.
This is just an attempt to take the power out of Internet users’ hands and I commend the online community for banding together and fighting for something we all agree on.

The Darwinistic nature of the Internet is what allows the most entertaining, silly, weird and, in this case, informative content to be spread to the masses at warped speed. It’s what allows feel-good stories like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to sweep an entire nation in just a couple of months. It’s what allows the world to tweet about events simultaneously and experience moments together. The best of the best content rises to the top without discrimination. Regardless of what the FCC believes, this entire net neutrality campaign is a good sign that the Internet still belongs to the people and not Internet service providers.

The ability for anyone to have a fair shot at having their content go viral is what makes the Internet great. We reserve the right to freedom of speeds. All data is created equal. This entire net neutrality campaign is the perfect example of why an open Internet format is the best and only answer.

Ironically, the Internet might’ve just saved the Internet.

Aarick Knighton is a junior information management and technology major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at adknight@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @aarickurban.

Published on September 11, 2014 at 12:13 am