The Internet & Conflict

Today, the internet is protesting for the internet. Yes, you read that correctly. The internet is protesting for the internet. The protest is over one thing: net neutrality. Net neutrality is the idea that all information on the internet should be treated equally and there should be no discrimination based on the source, user, platform, or provider. Net neutrality is part of a larger idea called the Open Internet. It is an internet where users can access information equally and without interference. That part isn’t complicated but it doesn’t explain why the internet is protesting. So, what’s the big deal about net neutrality?

In order to understand what the big deal is, some history is needed. In 2010 and 2011, the FCC proposed new provisions to reclassify broadband internet providers. This reclassification would make broadband providers have to follow the same rules as telephone networks. The reclassification and new FCC provisions banned providers from blocking competitor content and discriminating against lawful network traffic. Of course, with any new rules there were those who disagreed. Large companies challenged the new provisions in court. In January 2014, the DC Circuit Court determined that the FCC didn’t have the authority to enforce their new net neutrality provisions because providers weren’t “common carriers.”

If the court shot down the FCC’s new provisions then what is happening to net neutrality now? Since January, the providers have come under attack from the public for intentionally slowing down the internet (i.e., Verizon with Netflix) and for filing patents that would use the FCC’s lack of power to their advantage (i.e., AT&T). In April the FCC proposed a new plan that would allow broadband providers (Verizon, Comcast, etc.) to create a two-tiered internet. This tier system would similar to the lanes on a freeway. The slow lane would be for average users, regular information, and sites unwilling to pay extra. The fast lane would be dedicated to only those willing to pay. It would house whatever content the highest bidder wishes. This designated lane system would allow providers to prioritize content on the internet based on who is willing to pay.

            What does all this have to do with the Internet protesting for the Internet? Currently the FCC is in a time of public comment over the new proposed tiered system. Numerous websites from a wide range of subjects and areas of life have banned together today to send a message to the FCC. The message being that the Internet should remain open with all content being equal.

            I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking this has absolutely nothing to do with conflict resolution. But you’re wrong and I’ll tell you why.  

Consider the movie we watched in class today and the points Professor Leonetti brought up. During the Bosnian War one of the things that caused the international to community to finally act was the media coverage. It was the images of war being shown every night on televisions across the world. It was reports on the endless destruction and death. It was pictures of demolished towns and devastated survivors. Without that coverage it may have taken years longer for the international community to finally step in.

Net neutrality matters to conflict resolution because we no longer get the news the same way we did 20 or 30 years ago. The news no longer comes strictly from the daily paper or the nightly television news. Our news source has shifted to Internet. We now get news from social media and blogs and news sites across the Internet. As consumers we depend on the free flow of information that is equal in order to get the very best of what is going on around the world or in our own hometown. As producers or recorders of the news we also depend on this equality.

Consider two recent examples. First, during the Egyptian Uprising in 2011 different social media sites kept the world up to date on what was happening on the street. Protesters used social media sites to plan rallies and keep people aware of the mission. It wasn’t until the Egyptian government shut down the internet that the world lost one of its main sources of news for the conflict. Second, after Mike Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson social media and the internet seemed to explode with news. Protesters were tweeting information out about rallies, supporters were finding out about where to send donations through different websites, and journalists were filming the destruction happening on the streets and instantly uploading it to the internet. It was social media and smaller new sources that were keeping the public focused on what mattered in Ferguson.

Net neutrality matters to conflict resolution because the internet has turned into our news source. It’s currently a source where all information is equal. The proposal by the FCC to tier the internet would allow for that equality to be stripped away. The FCC in one decision could allow our news source to become compromised. Editors have always been able to bury a story below the fold but that’s why net neutrality is so important. Net neutrality doesn’t allow broadband providers to put anything below the fold. It helps to keep the internet open and the content equal.

Here are some links for more info on net neutrality, social media during the Egyptian Uprising, and an exhibit of photos from the Bosnian War.

Battle for the Net

Time Battle for the Net
Newsweek How is Net Neutrality Working
Wikipedia Net Neutrality
Fast Company Egypt
Bosnian War Photos