September 10th became “Internet Slowdown Day”: A cautionary event wherein consumers of online porn were confronted with spinning wheels of death (but without the slow loading time), serving as a reminder of what’s to come if net neutrality, the concept of an “open Internet” that sees Internet service providers and governments treat all online data equally, fails. The idea, according to BattlefortheNet.com, was to “cover the web with symbolic ‘loading’ icons, to remind everyone what an Internet without net neutrality would look like.”
Net neutrality has leveled the playing field, making it possible for mom-and-pop sites to compete with large corporations. So why is the FCC trying to fix what isn’t broken? Four years ago, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that companies like Comcast and Verizon had to treat all sites equally, effectively banning additional tolls for companies that devoured more bandwidth. But that didn’t sit well with Verizon, and thanks to their subsequent lawsuit earlier this year, the Court struck down the FCC’s rules for net neutrality. According to the courts, the Internet is not considered a utility and therefore not subject to such regulations.