How the FCC’s Vote on Net Neutrality Affects Teachers

Jeff GargasBlog, Innovate Better, Tech Better

How the FCC's Vote on Net Neutrality Affects Teachers

The roll back of Net Neutrality has been all over the news recently. But what does it mean for teachers?

A little background.

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about the FCC’s decision to roll back previous regulations on net neutrality. With a 3-2 vote yesterday (Thursday, December 14, 2017), the Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal to remove net neutrality rules that were put in place by the Obama administration in 2015.

These rules were in place to prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from being able to block or throttle internet speeds, and create “paid fast lanes.” This also classified ISPs as “Title II Common Carriers” which gave the regulations a stronger legal base.

Essentially what these regulations did is make it so that internet providers have to treat all websites fairly. They cannot choose to give you slower speeds if you’re viewing Website A, because they have business ties to Website B.

Yesterday’s vote will potentially get rid of all of this. I said “potentially” because technically, Congress can still overturn or squash the roll back. Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress can issue a “resolution of disapproval” and overrule the decision by the FCC. While this is good news, it’s not easy. The Act only gives Congress a 60 day window to make a move and overrule. Not to mention, the resolution would also need either two-thirds support of the House and Senate, or support from President Trump.

As of yesterday, only 107 out of the 239 Republicans in the House have shown support for ending Net Neutrality, and although we don’t know where the other 132 actually stand, that does present an opportunity for supporters of Net Neutrality to reach out and convince them to back a resolution of disapproval.

In my opinion, the key to an overruling is going to be voters putting pressure on their representatives to act. The organizations behind BattleForTheNet.com and Team Internet are rallying supporters for a massive, internet-wide campaign to call on Congress to support a CRA.

Ok, so let’s say Congress does NOT act and the FCC moves forward with removing Net Neutrality regulations…what does this mean for teachers?

It might mean nothing.

Despite all the protests and overwhelming opposition to this move by the FCC, there’s a chance that nothing too bad comes from it. Now, this is unlikely, because to believe that nothing bad will happen (like price increases to access specific websites) we must put our faith in the idea that massive internet service providers, like Comcast, will do the right thing and treat every site fairly, and NOT take advantage of this deregulation and increase profits for their shareholders, but there is a slight chance that not much changes.

The fact is, it is much more likely that these changes will, at the very least, lead to changes in how internet service is provided.

Prices could go up for using certain sites.

On the other hand, what is much more likely, is that internet providers will offer website owners the opportunity to pay to have visitors to their sites enjoy faster speeds, or require internet users (like you and me) to pay higher or additional rates to access certain sites, or maintain certain browsing speeds. Of course, this seems completely bewildering considering people commonly look to internet packages provided by infinitydish.com or other companies and opt for the speeds they want, and then expect those speeds across whatever devices or sites they’re on. The way current packages work is that people are paying to expect the internet speeds advertised, however, this could quickly change.

This presents the potential for your home or work’s internet service to look a little more like your cable package. Now, there are a lot of graphics and predictions out there that look like this one:

Credit: www.techdirt.com

This is not necessarily where things will go, but the fact remains that ISP’s COULD create packages like the ones predicted above. However, a lot of experts think it is more likely that the focus is going to be on your larger, heavier usage sites, like YoutTube, Netflix, Facebook, etc.

The most likely sites to get hit are going to be those that compete directly with services provided by internet providers. For example: Netflix has become a huge competitor to cable providers, as many people have cancelled or lowered their cable subscriptions in favor of the lower cost of Netflix. This would, presumably make charging users more to access Netflix, a very advantageous move for a company like AT&T, who offers both cable and internet services. And therein lies the problem: Internet providers can now destroy their competition and there is nothing much we can do about it.

Unfortunately, there is no real way to know what will happen. These changes don’t actually go into effect until this spring, and it is likely that internet providers will do little to nothing for the first few months, as to avoid immediate backlash. But I will be surprised if we don’t see some serious changes in the new future.

Some of your students may be affected worse than others.

Students in rural or impoverished areas could be affected the most, as your options for ISPs decrease the further away from big cities you get, with many people only having 1 options. This means an internet provider could charge pretty much whatever they want, and people will have no choice other than paying the higher prices or going without internet.

With more and more educators taking advantage of technology to increase engagement, some students’ families could either see their internet bill increase so much they can’t afford to keep it, or have their speeds slowed down to a point where students can’t access certain sites, even if they need them for your class.

You may need to adjust what resources you use.

As a whole, teachers will want to keep an eye on what websites, or types of content, take the hit if ISPs adjust pricing and speeds. That awesome video on YouTube might end up requiring your students’ parents to purchase a higher internet package, and if they can’t afford it, you’ll need to find another resource.

That awesome gamification site your students love? Its owners may be a small startup with limited resources, and in direct competition with a larger corporation who makes a deal with your ISP, which could lead to either limited access or no access at all to that site.

If you use social media to engage stakeholders, they might need to upgrade their internet package in order to get updates. With the massive amount of users social media attracts on a daily basis, we can pretty much rest assured that they will get targeted if potential “packages” come into play. However, your large social channels, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn may have enough influence to make deals with internet providers. On the flip side, though, because we all depend so much on social media, they make the perfect target for increasing profits for ISPs.

Your school may also see an increase in its bill, which could lead to fewer investments in future technology. Even if your school has spent the last couple years integrating awesome new technology in order to create a more efficient and effective learning environment, if prices do jump up, your administration may be faced with a difficult decision of whether you can keep using things like Google Classroom, Schoology, etc. It’ll all depend on which sites and types of content are affected.

The good news.

The bad news is that we really have no idea what may or may not happen now, or what we will or will not be able to do about it. The good news is that the one thing we do know is that teachers are resilient, creative, and resourceful. No matter what gets thrown at educators, they adapt and do what’s right for their students.

So, while I do hope you will join the fight to push back on the FCC vote and urge Congress to enact a CRA and overrule the vote, I want to encourage you to continue growing, learning, and being a source of inspiration for your students. A change in how we use the internet can affect a lot of things, but it will never be able to hinder the passion you have for the success of your learners!

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Header image photo by Taduuda on Unsplash