https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2017/internet-content-blocking/
Net Neutrality in America is important because it is a direct contributor to freedom of speech, information and having an educated public. With the previous rules submitted by the FCC around Net Neutrality and classifying ISP's under Title II, they made a statement that access to the internet is a public utility. Doing that means that all information should be open for a US citizen and every source should be treated the same way and not drowned out by corporate interests. With the repeal of some of the regulations around it, we are heading towards a time where there could be a problem. Thankfully, for now, there has not been a large uptick of ISP's throttling services. Comcast(Xfinity) states directly on their page that they will not do that, so it is still a competitive and open market 5 months since the rules went into place. As long as they stay competitive and open the problem won't exist, but with the only regulation being that they have to disclose any reduction of service to a site this may not stay true for long.
Businesses control their level of presence on the web by their efficiencies with website design, social media platforms, analytic measurements, advertisements, and other tools. For most businesses in today's market, it is vital to maintaining a strong online presence. To do this at a base level you need to build a website that is easy for your customers to navigate, utilizing intuitive UI and pleasant, easy to read layouts. You have to ensure that people can find you as well through optimization of search engine parameters. You have to make sure that when people are typing in keywords associated with your business, you are one that pops up. If you have these in place the third area to truly strengthen your brand and presence is through your social media and online advertisements. Establish a recognizable brand that has the leading share of customers mind, so when they think of an industry you are the first name that comes to mind. Finally, customer service interactions on web-based platforms are crucial. If you will have a helpline that runs on a web-based service, ensuring that wait times are short and answers are appropriate and thorough is critical. There are several other ways to control its web presence, but these are entry level for any company.
Controlling your level of presence on the web becomes more complicated with net neutrality repealed. This now opens up a marketplace where in order to have a high level of presence you may need to provide ISP's with additional compensation in order to be competitive. There is a chance where customers may not be able to get to your content or your content is prioritized last because it is not paid for or because it is restricted by the ISP. The best example is the difference between paid for web advertisements for keywords on a google search and those who do not pay for it. If I am looking for a plumber in Plymouth MN and they pay Google to advertise, they will be at the top of my google search and will likely be the first person I call if I do not have a preference. The same will be true of websites, people will take the path of least resistance(fastest speed) for things like news providers, streaming services, etc.
A question that will be important to me will be how will this repeal impact elections in the future. Currently, individuals are able to go out and research different candidates, policies, and regulations with ease and from several different viewpoints. If large ISP's began to support an individual party, would they be able to restrict or block access to sites that support the opposing parties viewpoints? Even beyond a simple blocking of an opponents website, but slowing down left or right wing news sources to promote people going to the other sides news sites in order to get information faster may be a tactic. If this does become a thing in the future, how does this impact a democracy? Does this go against the freedom of the press? If so what are the recourses of the American public to combat this in a legal setting?
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