Hopefully, we’ve all heard about net neutrality, its importance, and the undeniable fact that it is going bye-bye in the future by now. A date for that future has finally been announced. April 23, 2018 marks the beginning of the repeal of net neutrality. A further major reversal will not be happening until later, after a round of approvals from the Office of Management and Budget.
That approval has to be given, because the Federal Communication Commission’s new rules are going to be making some changes to data collection requirements. Once that has been given however, the FCC will once and for all get rid of net neutrality. Essentially, all the current rules revolving around the Internet will go away. The Commission claims that it is “Restoring Internet Freedom,” but really what it is doing is giving more power to Internet providers and paving the way for monopolies.
What does this mean for the average gamer? Well, for one, your Internet provider will be able to throttle your Internet. So say goodbye to relatively stable and quick Internet speeds. No matter what you are paying for your service, you could suffer from incredibly low Internet speeds at any point in time. This will be perfectly legal for providers to do, so long as they inform their customers that they are doing it.
ISPs will also be able to legally block and prioritize content. Essentially, services that are owned by the providers will be given higher speeds and potential free data allowances. This is all well and good, but what if you like the “other guy’s” service? Well you’ll have to pay the subscription for it of course (as always), and you might suffer slower speeds. Non-ISP owned game services (whether that be streaming video, games, or social services) will probably have a hard time staying alive.
It’s important to remember that many Americans’ eyes have been thrust open, and Congress will fight for net neutrality. It’s mostly run by Republicans at the moment however, and they are not fans of net neutrality. States within the country and other individuals/companies will now be able to sue over the FCC’s new “rules” as well. A bevy of legal battles are sure to be on the horizon.
Source: The Verge