Against the wishes of web users and tech businesses alike, the FCC has pushed through regulations to kill net neutrality. Here’s what that means for web developers.
On December 14, 2017, the FCC voted in a 3-2 decision to roll back the Obama administration’s 2015 net neutrality rules. These policies, which demanded stronger oversight for broadband companies and internet service providers, ensured that all data on the web was treated equally. Most importantly, they prevented web traffic from being divided into ‘slow lanes’ and ‘fast lanes,’ eliminating the anticompetitive practice of paid prioritization.
It did this by classifying internet service providers as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act. Though exempt from some of the stricter regulations under this act, ISPs were still required to treat all web traffic as equal - no blocking, slowing down, or otherwise discriminating against content. And now, through lobbying from ISPs and telecommunications companies, these policies have been repealed.
According to FCC chairman Ajit Pai, this is nothing to be concerned about. Paid prioritization is a good thing, he says - it will help create a more level playing field for startups and small businesses. Nor do web developers and web designers have anything to fear - after all, they managed just fine before the Obama administration, right?
Frankly, this discourse is pure nonsense.
The fact is that when the FCC originally put net neutrality regulations in place, ISPs were engaged in some incredibly concerning practices. Throttling was commonplace, even in situations where users paid extra for bandwidth. With net neutrality’s repeal, we’re going to go back to the way things were before - likely worse.
The truth is that the net neutrality repeal is only the first stage in a much larger plan. The next stage seems to be shifting enforcement of ISP regulation to the FTC, an organization which has no rule-making ability and can only take action against a company after it’s committed a violation. Ultimately, the goal seems to be to blind deregulation.
And like it or not, this can and will have a negative impact on web development. If providers are given the capacity to freely impose throttling and content blocking, everything will become costlier and more cumbersome. Smaller websites will find themselves unable to compete due to throttled traffic.
And because of how much more expensive, it will become to run a website, webmasters will be unable to pay designers and developers as much as they traditionally would. Not only that, because of throttled traffic, more sites are likely to fail - and that will lead to reduced business for devs.
It’s not just websites that will suffer, either. Cloud web development services will likely see an increase in cost due to paid prioritization, meaning development firms will end up with a smaller bottom line. Coupled with a reduction in available clients, this will result in a far more cutthroat industry with a large barrier to entry.
The good news is that at the moment, it’s unclear whether or not the FCC will succeed in quashing net neutrality in the long-term. There are already lawsuits being leveled against the organization, and plenty of individuals and businesses with a vested interest in restoring regulations. In the meantime, you can add your voice to the chorus of people calling for re-regulation here.
About the author:
Max Emelianov started HostForWeb in 2001. In his role as HostForWeb’s CEO, he focuses on teamwork and providing the best support for his customers while delivering cutting-edge web hosting services.
