Do you use the internet?
There’s a decent chance that bad changes hurting your writing career, your blog/website, your social media, your online shopping and anything else you do online, could happen soon.
You might have heard the words “net neutrality” in the news lately.
Net neutrality is our ability to get information freely online and have equal access to online content.
The Federal Communications Commission (or, the FCC) is proposing a plan to allow certain companies to set up a fast track and a slower track to the Internet, based on what people can afford to pay. The plan could be approved by the FCC as early as its Dec. 14, 2017 meeting.
If this doesn’t sound fair or good, that’s because it isn’t.
This is definitely bad news for bloggers and writers who have their own websites to showcase their blog posts and writing portfolios.
Even if you don’t have your own website, if you write for a publication that publishes your content online, the loss of net neutrality could limit how many online readers see your articles.
Here are a few great posts that further explain what net neutrality is, why it’s so important, and what you can do to protect it and keep the Internet as equally accessible as possible.
The Basics
Popular blogger and author Luvvie Ajayi wrote a blog post back in 2014 explaining what you need to know about net neutrality, especially if you’re a writer or a blogger. The article has some updates made during November 2017 concerning the upcoming FCC vote.
Check out: Net Neutrality: Why You Should Care and What You Can Do
An FCC member Asks You to Help the FCC Save Net Neutrality
Not all FCC members want to end net neutrality. Here’s a thoughtful opinion piece from FCC member Jessica Rosenworcel on how net neutrality affects our daily lives and why it’s important to protect equal access to online information.
Here’s the link: I’m on the FCC. Please stop us from killing net neutrality
A Real-Life Example
Rocco Balsamo, a website developer, discusses how ending net neutrality is bad for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.
Read: How repealing net-neutrality could destroy my small business
How to Protect Net Neutrality
Mashable, a website about how technology affects our society and culture, has a great and practical list of actions you can take to keep the internet equally accessible.
Check out and learn: How you can fight to save net neutrality on the Day of Action and beyond
I hope you find these posts helpful in explaining what net neutrality is about and how it directly affects all of us.
Are you worried about losing equal access to the internet? Please share with us in the comments below how internet use affects your writing projects and any other parts of your daily life.