The Effects of Ending Net Neutrality

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/opinion/fcc-net-neutrality.html

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To the Editor:

Re “F.C.C. Reverses Rules Requiring Net Neutrality” (front page, Dec. 15):

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday abrogated the very limited net neutrality regulations that the Obama administration had put in place. In a season when Washington politics has been overwhelmed by the naked greed of special interests, this may win pride of place as the single most greedy, corrupt and damaging such action.

It is hardly a secret that American telecommunications markets are monopolized by a very few large corporations, and that the current F.C.C. chairman, Ajit Pai, worked for one of those large firms, Verizon. The end of net neutrality will allow Mr. Pai’s former employer to extract higher profits without returning better service to the American people.

Who really thinks that allowing the large telecom corporations more control over what Americans see and read is a good thing? Giving monopolies more power will make it harder for new companies to enter the marketplace and limit the pace of innovation.

In sum, Mr. Pai and the end of net neutrality exemplify everything that is currently wrong with Washington. Vested interests corrupt the policy process, lie to the American people and make decisions that further concentrate wealth and power in the hands of an elite few, with bleak consequences for the American people and our economy.

Taking a clear stand against this may at the very least increase the chance that the inevitable next such outrage can be stopped.

BARRETT L. MCCORMICK MILWAUKEE

The writer is a professor of political science at Marquette University.

To the Editor:

Pay for what you use. What is wrong with that?

Some 70 percent of internet traffic during peak hours comes from real-time entertainment like Netflix and YouTube. The internet backbone needs to be maintained and improved to handle the growing traffic. Think about our highway system. It was not maintained and improved as it should have been, and look at what we’ve got.

Now who should pay for maintaining and improving the backbone? The people creating the demand. They cannot expect to get a free ride on others who don’t binge watch.

MICHAEL GUERREROEL CAJON, CALIF.

To the Editor:

Re “The G.O.P.’s Legislative Lemons” (Op-Ed, Dec. 15):

Michael Tomasky’s revealing analysis stimulated my awareness of how unpopular the Federal Communications Commission’s rescinding of the net neutrality rules is. I wonder how the F.C.C. chairman could possibly answer a query like: “Polls show that more than three-quarters of the public wants to keep net neutrality rules. What makes you think that you know better what’s good for our country than such an overwhelming majority of people?”

BRUCE KERIEVSKY, MONROE, N.J.