Net Neutrality was again called into question today in a DC Circuit Court.
Oral arguments were presented in a case between the FCC and Verizon Inc. after an ongoing battle to either strike down or to uphold the Open Internet Framework. The Open Internet Framework is a set of rules that prevents internet service providers from surcharging companies to place content on their networks and from arbitrarily blocking content based on company preferences. Essentially, the rules were designed to keep the internet free and equal; and to provide an balanced range of content for consumers.
Net Neutrality, the concept suggesting that internet providers cannot discriminate or provide preferential treatment to specific content, has remained an issue for big business, as they battle with the government to determine how much control they can wield over content and bandwidth accessibility.
In 2012, Comcast, the Philadelphia based cable provider and owner of NBC Networks, was again brought to trial on net neutrality issues when it proposed internet usage caps for consumers. The plan was to limit bandwidth accessibility for customers who exceeded a predetermined usage level, yet several of Comcast’s on-demand programs and streaming apps were exempt from usage accounting.
Comcast Headquarters T. Leverett 2013
While the FCC ultimately ruled against the company, which resulted in more relaxed usage caps, Comcast consumers are still concerned about what controls cable providers have over the programming and internet access they pay for each month.
“I can barely understand my bill, much less all of the stuff that goes on down there on 17th and Arch…I’m sure they are watching what I watch, and recording what I do, so it doesn’t really surprise me that they can limit my internet access and force me to watch the channels that they promote,” says Philadelphia resident and Comcast subscriber Jana Scott.
As several major cable providers continue to face lawsuits and engage in debate that could potentially weaken regulations like Net Neutrality and the Open Internet Framework, consumers may have to deal with several changes in what their current providers offer and how much content they can access.
Scott considers a way to avoid the confusion, “I know there are a few websites out there that just let you choose shows to watch and you pay a few bucks each month to watch them online. I feel like that is what I would rather do…I’m paying way too much for cable and internet services anyway. I guess that wouldn’t matter anyway, then they would probably cut off my internet for not watching their shows.”