According to The New York Times, “hundreds of protests were staged across the country on Thursday in the latest uproar over a repeal of rules ensuring an open internet.” People all across the country are filled with concern as Trump’s FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, attempts to get rid of net neutrality. Net neutrality preserves our right to communicate freely online (first amendment rights) and Pai being successful in removing net neutrality, we will have to pay to use the internet. It will also provide big companies like Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, etc. the right to “call the shots” and decide which websites, applications, and content will succeed.  

  In an interview conducted by PBS, Pai talked about why he wants to scrap net neutrality.  Pai said, “My concern is that, by imposing those heavy-handed economic regulations on Internet service providers big and small, we could end up disincentivizing companies from wanting to build out Internet access to a lot of parts of the country, in low-income, urban and rural areas, for example. And that, I think, is something that nobody would benefit from.”

  The internet is a huge part of our society, and people everywhere will be affected, including students in HR, so it should be something that students should be well informed about and aware of how it will affect them.

  “I think it’s some boof that they’re allowing big companies to get bigger and destroying smaller companies. It’s also wack that they can charge us for social media and other things we usually do on the internet for free,” said Brian Lutz, junior. Seeing how so many high school students use social media on a regular basis, many are upset with what net neutrality being repealed will do to their freedom when on the internet or social media.

  Many people are also realizing that net neutrality will be a source of discrimination because the big companies will be able to block things they disagree with which include political views, and if you want to view whatever it is they blocked they can charge you for it.

  As of Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, net neutrality was thrown out. Even though people don’t experience the changes right away, the political and legal fight will begin immediately.

Olivia Berg, Social Media Editor