{"id":62694,"date":"2017-05-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foxtail\/2017\/05\/18\/net-neutrality-answers\/"},"modified":"2017-05-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T00:00:00","slug":"net-neutrality-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/firefox\/net-neutrality-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"Net Neutrality: Answers You Seek"},"content":{"rendered":"

Net neutrality has been in the headlines a lot recently. And while it\u2019s a complicated issue, it\u2019s a really important one to understand.<\/p>\n

Recently, I spent the day with Heather West, Mozilla\u2019s Senior Policy Manager and net neutrality expert, as we talked to people all over Washington, DC about net neutrality. After we wrapped our day, I compiled the most common questions we received from people on the street, and interviewed Heather for answers.<\/p>\n

Net neutrality is admittedly a wonky subject, but if you\u2019re reading this blog post, it means you use the internet. And, if you use the internet, net neutrality is something that affects you. Have a read through Heather\u2019s FAQs to get smart on this pressing issue.<\/p>\n

Q. What is net neutrality and why should I care?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. Net neutrality is the idea that your internet service provider (ISP) \u2014 whether that\u2019s Comcast, Verizon, or someone else \u2014 shouldn\u2019t have the ability to pick and choose which service or content you can see, or make sites pay to have their content load quickly. You should care because net neutrality is about way more than packets of data \u2014 it affects competition, innovation, speech online, and user choice. Losing net neutrality would ultimately mean you have fewer choices for content, applications, and services online, in ways we can\u2019t possibly imagine today.<\/p>\n

Q. Why is net neutrality in the news now?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. In 2015 \u2014 after more than a decade of broad discussion of this issue, and millions of public comments \u2014 the FCC finally adopted clear, strong rules to protect net neutrality, grounded in Congressional authority, and upheld by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Now, although net neutrality is the kind of common sense policy everyone should support, the recently appointed FCC Chair has decided he would rather ISPs be empowered to pick and choose winners online. So, he just opened a formal proceeding to undo the FCC\u2019s rules.<\/p>\n

Q. Who opposes net neutrality and why?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. The primary opponents of net neutrality are the ISPs, who want to find new ways to charge for internet access (whether they\u2019re charging their subscriber or the website the subscriber wants to look at is part of this question), and to prioritize their own offerings over those of competitors. Some others oppose net neutrality because they\u2019re being misled into believing that it\u2019s all about \u201cregulating the internet\u201d, when in fact it\u2019s anything but \u2014 it\u2019s a policy to make sure that the internet will remain open and free for future innovators.<\/p>\n

Q. Who thinks keeping net neutrality is a good idea and why?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. Millions of internet users, technology innovators both large and small, librarians, creative artists, and a whole lot of others who care about the internet \u2014 including groups you might never guess, like the National Association of Realtors<\/a> \u2014 have spoken out over many years in support of net neutrality. They all share an interest in preserving an open, user-driven, competition and innovation friendly internet for the future of our economy and our society.<\/p>\n

Q. What is the Title I versus Title II debate I keep hearing about?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. One of the things you\u2019ll hear a lot in this debate is, \u201cI support net neutrality…I just don\u2019t like Title II\u201d. But the bottom line is that the Title II net neutrality protections work, and \u00a0the Title I protections didn\u2019t. That\u2019s why the FCC chose to reclassify broadband services in 2015.<\/p>\n

Communications law is always wonky and complicated, but I can try to explain, Title I and Title II \u2014 the two classifications that the FCC can use here \u2014 are different sections of communications law. The FCC tried two different times to protect net neutrality using Title I authority, and both times, a Federal court said that Title I wasn\u2019t the right tool to use and rejected Title I net neutrality rules. Title II (for telecommunications and \u201ccommon carriers\u201d) has more protections for users than Title I such as requiring reasonable practices and privacy protections, and Title II gives the FCC flexibility too. Last year, the same Federal court strongly endorsed the FCC\u2019s use of Title II and adoption of net neutrality rules.<\/p>\n

Q. What is Mozilla doing about net neutrality?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. Mozilla is doing everything we can to preserve and protect net neutrality \u2014 both in the U.S. and globally. We\u2019re talking to our community and our grassroots partners about it, we track it in our Internet Health Report<\/a>, and we\u2019ll be submitting official comments to the FCC and talking to Congress.<\/p>\n

Q. What can I do to make my voice heard on this issue?<\/b><\/p>\n

A. Alongside our allies, we\u2019re running a grassroots advocacy campaign on net neutrality to collect internet users\u2019 comments and send them to the FCC, to help make sure they know how important this issue is to everyone.\u00a0 You can also read our letter to the FCC and add your name here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"IRLWant more real talk?<\/h2>\n

We only have one life, and we live it online and off. Being equipped with the knowledge and tools to take action offline<\/strong> about online<\/strong> issues \u2014 like net neutrality \u2014 is critical to a healthier world and Web.<\/p>\n

Listen to the second episode of IRL (Mozilla’s original podcast), The Neutral Zone: The Future of Net Neutrality<\/a>, when host Veronica Belmont explores exactly who wins \u2014 and who loses \u2014 if net neutrality is repealed.<\/p>\n

Find IRL on our Website<\/a>, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Net neutrality has been in the headlines a lot recently. And while it\u2019s a complicated issue, it\u2019s a really important one to understand. Recently, I spent the day with Heather West, Mozilla\u2019s Senior Policy Manager and net neutrality expert, as we talked to people all over Washington, DC about net neutrality. After we wrapped our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1198,"featured_media":20343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNet Neutrality: Answers You Seek<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to understand net neutrality? 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