VIRGINIA BEACH — What if you had to pay to view your children’s photos on Facebook? Or to shop for holiday gifts on Amazon or eBay?
Now think of each website being bundled — like cable television channels — where you have to pay for access to several websites just to get the one you want.
With the elimination of one rule by the Federal Communications Commission, that may become a reality.
What is Net Neutrality?
On Thursday, the FCC is expected to rescind an Obama-era rule calling for net neutrality, the principle that internet service should be open and accessible. The rule curbed discriminatory practices by internet service providers, or ISPs, with “internet conduct rules.”
The rule explicitly bans blocking, throttling and paid prioritization of internet services, lessening the ability of an ISP to favor a particular product or website.
The repeal would put more power into the ISPs hands, allowing them to sell website access in bundles much the same way cable providers package channels; however, it could also have a positive implication on how major service providers battle cyber attackers who can use hacking to shut down websites and steal customer information, said Old Dominion University Batten Chair of Cybersecurity Hongyi “Michael” Wu.
“If the ISP has more control then the ISP can potentially do something good for us. It is possible. They can help us. They can block cyber attacks. They can help us to protect the cyberspace,” Wu said.
“On the other hand, if we give more power to the ISP it can also potentially result in discrimination and unfairness (to businesses and users),” he added. “It depends on how the ISP uses the power.”
What could happen to customers and businesses if we lost Net Neutrality?
The vote Thursday is expected to have a ripple effect from Washington D.C. to the Southside and beyond.
The change could limit access to websites of businesses and tourist attractions in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, unless a website owner is willing to pay extra money to an ISP to be part of a bundle, according to a report from Forbes.
In an area where Cox and Verizon dominate the internet market, rescinding net neutrality means those companies could choose what websites are available and how easily they could be accessed.
Customers pay a premium for Cox Communications services despite the fact that the company has some of the lowest satisfaction ratings in the telecommunications industry for both cable and internet, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
While Cox Communications is the primary internet service provider on the Southside, if net neutrality is eliminated it would put more power in the company’s hands.
In April, Cox Communications released a statement suggesting it was an advocate for a different sort of net neutrality.
“Reestablishing ‘light tough’ regulation will return a level of certainty for consumer protections and future investment and innovation that spur the growth of the internet,” the statement reads.
“Cox has always been committed to providing an open internet experience for our customers and reversing the classification of internet services will not change our commitment,” the statement continues. “We do not block, throttle or otherwise interfere with consumers’ desire to go where they want on the internet.”
Some consumers are heavily against the repeal of net neutrality. A petition created by Change.org titled “Save Net Neutrality” has gained more than 1.5 million signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
The website wrote an open letter to the FCC and the United States Senate and House of Representatives that is attached to the petition.
“Without net neutrality, ISPs can choose what you see online, favoring some sources or blocking others. For example, if someone launched a petition on Change.org against a company like Verizon, net neutrality prevents Verizon from blocking or slowing their customers’ access to our site,” the letter reads.
“At Change.org, we believe that people everywhere should have the tools they need to make their voices heard … a closed off internet means fewer ways for millions of people to make the change they want to see,” the letter continues.
Other online petitions and protests have also been created, including the “Join the Battle for Net Neutrality,” which helps consumers contact their representatives to encourage them to fight the FCC’s repeal.
Repeal could have positive impact on cybersecurity, one expert says
Although Wu was hesitant to say whether or not consumers and businesses would see a major impact on their abilities to surf the internet if net neutrality were repealed, he said that the concern over ISPs potentially blocking and throttling content is “valid,” especially for small, start-up businesses competing against Goliath companies.
“[Net neutrality] actually encourages the new applications to be developed on the internet and it encourages new startups,” Wu said. “It allows smaller companies to get into the market and compete.”
“If the ISP has a legal right to discriminate, then potentially yes they can charge more from businesses. It may result in unfairness,” he added.
Wu added that repealing net neutrality could have a positive impact on consumers and businesses who live online — namely the potential beefing up of cybersecurity by ISPs who would have the ability to discriminate against “malicious users” seeking to hack into to steal consumer data or shut down a company’s operations.
Websites undergo cyber attacks every day, and there is no “silver bullet” that can mitigate them, Wu said.
There are many kinds of attackers online whose goals revolve around threatening cybersecurity. Some attackers simply want to shut a website down, which can be costly for the company who owns the domain. Others want to steal customer and company information or use encryption techniques that compromise a businesses information, Wu said.
While it’s currently illegal for an ISP to discriminate against particular users who might be hackers looking to cause harm in cyberspace, repealing net neutrality could empower ISPs to act as internet security guards against malicious users.
“If they see those are more likely to be malicious users, they can just reduce the traffic and boundaries allocated to those users, or just completely block their traffic,” Wu said.
Adrienne Marie Mayfield contributed to this story.
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