Net Neutrality is a policy put in place to make sure that all content on the internet is treated equally and is not charged differently. This means that anyone can access anything on the internet, which is how it should be.

“Network neutrality means applying well-established “common carrier” rules to the internet in order to preserve its freedom and openness. Common carriage prohibits the owner of a network that holds itself out to all-comers from discriminating against information by halting, slowing, or otherwise tampering with the transfer of any data,” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said.

Without net neutrality in place, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T can charge costumers for using certain services on the internet. Customers can be charged for using social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Not only is this an infringement on freedom of speech, but it also makes it harder for students to access the internet for homework.

In our own school, much of what we do involves the internet. We write research papers where we need to use the internet to find sources. We use websites such as Twitter and Instagram to spread information about school activities and clubs. Students even use IXL to do homework for various classes. Many of the textbooks students use in class are accessed on the internet because nobody wants to carry a hundred pound textbook home every night. We also use websites like this to learn more about our community and world.

“I think everyone should have the right to be able to access what they want on the internet,” Theresa Toth, junior, said.

I use the internet daily. I use the internet to do homework, to study, and to talk to my friends. The internet plays a huge part in my life and it has always been something that I have been able to access. I can’t imagine having that access be limited because net neutrality was repealed.

We rely on the internet, and if net neutrality is repealed that reliance will cost us.

Not only will this make accessing the internet hard, but it will make it even more difficult for impoverished families who can’t afford the internet as it is. Paying for wifi is expensive, and imagine having to add on daily fees just to do homework.

Repealing net neutrality is simply going to benefit big companies who will profit off of the repeal. This repeal is not meant to help anyone, it is meant to hurt those already hurting.

Ajit Pai, who is the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), believes that repealing Net Neutrality will actually be beneficial. Pai is leading the crusade against Net Neutrality. Pai believes that Net Neutrality hinders competition between ISPs and repealing the policy will help increase the competition.

“My concern is that, by imposing those heavy-handed economic regulations on Internet service providers big and small, we could end up disincentivizing companies,” Pai said.

Pai seems to care more about companies, not about the real people that will be affected by the repeal.

Pai, in an interview with PBS, even said that he believed that the repeal would be beneficial by bringing internet access to “low-income, urban and rural areas.”

Regardless of your opinion on Net Neutrality, it is an issue that people should be educated on because it is a policy that influences a major part of our lives.

The vote on Net Neutrality will take place Dec. 14, 2017, by the FCC.