In Case You Missed Us: Net Neutrality News on Tech Talk with KTRS

Net neutrality has been a hot technology topic in the news over the past few years. There wasn't any surprise that after the news on Friday that net neutrality was headed back to court that the topic would dominate our Tech Talk discussion later that day. Guy Phillips, Josh Gilbert, and our IT expert Chadd Haselhorst discussed the ins and outs of the topic and what it could mean for consumers moving forward. It's always a good time when we can pull something straight from the headlines and give our spin on the topic to educate the listeners of The Big 550 KTRS!

What is Net Neutrality?

Net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data transmissions over the Internet with equality. The ISP should give its consumers access to all legal content on an even basis without filtering and favoring online sources.

To break net neutrality down into terms end users can relate to would be to say that your internet provider must treat your streaming services like Netflix the same as your online news resources even though streaming requires more bandwidth. An ISP is not allowed to deny access, slow down, or charge more for a website just because it requires more power to run.

In 2015, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ruled that ISPs operate as a Title II utility service which means that they need to enforce net neutrality rules as described above. This was the FCC's attempt to continue to maintain a free and open internet.

Net Neutrality in the News

In 2018, the FCC voted to remove net neutrality rules that were put in place. As of February 1st, the battle of net neutrality made its way back to court. Defenders of the open internet fought their case with the FCC as both sides gave their arguments either for or against online regulations.

At this time there is no clear end in sight as to whether net neutrality will be staying or going. Should the days of an open and free internet be behind us, there could be a lot of changes for consumers and businesses alike. As Chadd mentioned, a lot of this is still up in the air, but nothing is changing about how consumers use the internet in the meantime. It will be interesting to see where this court case takes the future of the internet.

Tech Talk on KTRS

There you have it, a little recap of what happened in the news last week and on Tech Talk. Be sure to tune your radio in The Big 550 KTRS or listen online this Friday afternoon at 4:20 to listen to our next tech-centric discussion. If you would like to learn more about SumnerOne or what our IT experts are doing when they aren't on the radio, give us a call.

Originally published February 7, 2019, updated May 15, 2019