Recently there has been a huge public outcry over the FCC’s decision to repeal net-neutrality. People across the country have taken to Twitter to express their disapproval.  The truth, however, is that the internet is not going to change all that much. The internet is not going to grind to halt and leave us all with no choice but return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Verizon is not going to take all of our money and force us to begin the streets. Repealing net neutrality will actually have the opposite effect. A free internet without burdensome government regulation will end up being a positive thing.

The basic argument over net neutrality is quite simple.  People who support a “free internet” believe that the best way to get consumers the best internet connection is through competition. In a free market, companies who give the highest quality internet for the best price are going to get the most business. This motivates companies to stay on the strait and narrow. If an internet provider were to start blocking popular services such as Netflix, their customers would just get a new provider who offered them faster internet at a better price. Allowing businesses to operate without government intervention has been the guiding principle of almost every other industry in the United States. This has allowed companies to thrive, making America the most powerful, influential, and wealthiest country in the history of the world. Free markets have always been the most effective way of developing the highest quality products for the best prices. All of the archetypal American industries such as car manufacturing and fast food are the direct spawn of free markets. Appling free market principles to the internet will have the same result as it does for other industries: faster, more reliable service at the best price.

Despite what proponents of net neutrality may say, government regulation on the internet has negative effects, chief among which are the harm that they do to small service providers. The American economy is built on small business, which makes up 99.7% of all U.S. employers. Allowing small businesses to flourish is the most effective way of growing a developing industry, such as the internet. Though some people say that net neutrality is beneficial for small internet providers, it is simply untrue. If net neutrality was good for small providers, wouldn’t you expect small business to vehemently support net neutrality? However, the largest supporters of net neutrality are huge companies like Google and Netflix. Netflix alone is responsible for 36.5% of all bandwidth used in North America. Making all companies pay the same amount for internet raises the cost for small companies who use relatively little bandwidth and gives massive cuts to large companies that already have lots of wealth. A recent poll found that service providers with less than 1000 clients prevents them from growing. Removing net neutrality’s regulations will allow these small companies to grow, adding more competition to the market and incentivizing more development.

Since 2015, net neutrality has been harmful to the internet by stopping both large and small companies from growing. According to Ajit Pai, the chairman of the FCC, amount of money invested into expanding the broadband networks has decreased by 5.6%, or $3.6 billion since net neutrality’s implementation. Small internet providers have been unable to grow due to overreaching government regulations. The FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality was the right this to do. It will lead to more growth in development in America’s internet as well as a more free internet. A free internet fits with historically American values and is good for all Americans.

*This opinion piece does not reflect the views of the entire CCES community, nor the CCES journalism staff. This is the product of one individual sharing their thoughts. This is not intended to be offensive to any individual or group.