Today is Net Neutrality Day and thousands of internet companies are joining together to protest efforts by the NCTA- the Internet & Television association (the broadband and cable industry trade group representing the likes of Comcast, among others) - to scrap FCC rules requiring open access to the internet, free from throttling, censorship, or priority. You can learn more about net neutrality and what it would mean for the average consumer to lose it here. In essence, the NCTA believes internet providers should be able to charge companies to receive preferential treatment when it comes to the speed with which customers are able to access their websites. Likewise, customers could be charged more if they want to access more of the web or they don't want their internet speeds throttled while visiting certain sites. The current rules support free and open access to the internet for everyone.
The ironic thing about the net neutrality fight is that, whoever wins, accessing the internet is still cost-prohibitive, costing anywhere from $25-$100/month or more. So, even if current efforts succeed in staving off censorship and preferential access to certain sites on the internet, it could still cost $50/month to even get access to the internet at all.
Equal access to the internet should be considered a human right. With basic income guaranteed, everyone would be guaranteed an income sufficient to cover their basic needs, including access to the internet to be able to pay their bills, look up information when they're sick, research new entrepreneurial efforts, and connect with friends and family. The broadband companies succeed, also, when all 320 million Americans, for example, can pay their internet bill every month.
Investigate a Living Income Guaranteed by the Equal Life Foundation
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