The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted last Thursday to do away with controversial net neutrality rules.
Two Republican-appointed commissioners joined FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a 3-2 vote to rescind the order and return to a standard that closely resembles the way the internet has been regulated for most of its existence.
Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all digital content equally. This means that the consumer can load every website, app, etc., equally, regardless of where the content is hosted.
After a public request from President Obama In February 2015, the FCC voted to classify consumer broadband service as a public utility under Title II Order of the 1934 Communications Act.
Under that law, the FCC adopted no-blocking, no-throttling, and no-paid-prioritization rules. This controls how companies provide services to consumers and under this order, the internet is deemed a common carrier or public utility, so ISPs are regulated.
Supporters of this classification argue that it keeps the internet “open and accessible to anyone,” regardless of socioeconomic status. Without the current regulations, they claim ISPs could charge more for access to specific sites and censor content.
Hiding behind the guise of “openness and accessibility,” net neutrality was just another government regulation that dictated what consumers and businesses could and could not do.
The FCC’s vote to rollback net neutrality drew intense, online criticism from lawmakers, activists, celebrities, and especially millennials. The majority of reactions pandered to fear mongering; many spread the false idea that because net neutrality died, the internet would cease to exist as we knew it.
Although there were plenty of tweets in cyberspace calling for net neutrality laws, here are the greatest ones against them:
1.
So here’s my take on #NetNeutrality —literally *everything* the government sticks its nose in get worse. I’d rather the free market decide how to operate than allow government intervention to screw it up. So whatever takes government out of the equation, that’s what I support.
— Liberty (@LibertyJen) December 17, 2017
2.
Day 4 without the master of all the internet #NetNeutrality
I just had to fight 12 zombies to get to the library to check my fantasy team on the last bit of bandwidth left in my town. It crashed before I could find out. Literally shaking right now. Send memes
— Funny Libertarian (@funlibertarian2) December 17, 2017
3.
.@HammillHimself Luke, I know Hollywood can be confusing, but it was Vader who supported govt power over everything said & done on the Internet. That’s why giant corps (Google, Facebook, Netflix) supported the FCC power grab of net neutrality. Reject the dark side: Free the net! https://t.co/nARkMvIEYk
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 17, 2017
4.
Everyone wants net neutrality but they’re fine with facebook, YouTube, and now Twitter passing new censorship rules that are completely biased and control what used to be a realm for free speech and expression. #TwitterPurge #Twitterpocalypse
— Garrett Thompson (@NotGayGarrett) December 18, 2017
5.
PSA: Just because a great majority of people support something, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Side Note: The Constitution is difficult to amend purposefully, so we can avoid the whims of public sentiment doing something that abrogates individual liberty. #NetNeutrality
— Austin Petersen (@AP4Liberty) December 14, 2017
6.
Curse you #NetNeutrality! I just got my bill and my internet rates went up 104%! I lost my provider and I have to get a second job just to pay for it!
Just kidding that was Obamacare.
— Sensical Politics (@sensicalpol) December 16, 2017
7.
#NetNeutrality doesn’t mean neutral, just like #AffordableCareAct doesn’t mean affordable, just like #PlannedParenthood doesn’t mean planning for parenthood, just like #Progressivism doesn’t mean progress, just like #Antifa doesn’t mean anti-fascist.
— Aleen Realmuto (@aleen_coolfind) December 16, 2017
8.
Jimmy Kimmel on ABC said net neutrality is necessary to take down big corporations control of iinternet. On ABC. He said this on ABC. Pleeeease use critical thinking on this one guys.
— Owen Benjamin (@OwenBenjamin) December 16, 2017
9.
It’s pretty simple.
Net neutrality = The government controlling the Internet.
No net neutrality = The government NOT controlling the Internet.
— Kade Speiser (@KadeSpice) December 16, 2017
10.
The funniest thing this week has been to witness the same people who literally want to ban anyone with a different opinion simultaneously fuming over ‘Internet Freedom’.
If you’re pro-censorship, you can’t also be pro “Internet Freedom,” you utter clowns. #NetNeutrality
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) December 15, 2017
11.
Regarding #NetNeutrality – it’s simple. As with EVERYTHING else, less govt is better than more govt.
Same with the military.
Same with Social Security.
Same with welfare.
Same with EVERYTHING.Stop being slaves to government. Stop being afraid of freedom.
— Rick Canton (@TheRickCanton) December 15, 2017
12.
For the trillionth time,
Facebook, Twitter, Google, Netflix.. etc… are big corporations. You are not automatically taking the side of the little man by being for “net neutrality.”
— Eric July (@EricDJuly) December 15, 2017
In a country where almost every facet of life is regulated by big government, the last thing we need is a state-run internet. We need more choice, more competition, and more freedom to ensure that we get a truly open internet.