The article discusses the FCC's proposal to allow large internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast and Verizon to charge more for bandwidth-heavy services like Netflix and Hulu. This would go against the principle of net neutrality, which is that all internet data should be treated equally without discrimination or extra charges. Opponents argue this could give ISPs too much control over internet access and content. It may also hurt small businesses that rely on broadband access by increasing their costs and driving customers to larger ISPs that can afford to pay more for premium services. Supporters counter that customers should have the option to pay more for higher speeds if they want enhanced services like HD streaming. The impact on a rural county like Marshall that

1. Local Page A3Pilot News • Friday, May 30, 2014
By Rachael Herbert-Varchetto
Staff Writer
PLYMOUTH - Since it’s birth in the 1980s, the internet has
served as an informational wild west where the rules of data
sharing are not hard and fast.
But the FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
seeks to change this with a new proposal that would allow
large internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast and
Verizon the ability to charge more for use of outfits like
Neflix and Hulu due to the higher bandwidth needed to
maintain download speeds. Currently, the FCC has left the
matter open for public review.
In their statement, the FFC asserts, “The Court of Appeals
made it clear that the FCC could stop harmful conduct if
it were found to not be “commercially reasonable.” Acting
within the constraints of the Court’s decision, the Notice
will propose rules that establish a high bar for what is “com-
mercially reasonable,” as well as that the FCC “only bans
“unjust and unreasonable discrimination.”
According to critics this proposition is vague, and con-
sider to violate the principle of net neutrality. As a gen-
eral view, net neutrality is
based in the idea that all
data and information on the
Internet should be treated
equally, and not discrimi-
nate or charge individually
by users, available content
and websites, by ISPS and
governments.
“Net neutrality in general
means the ISP can basically
control how fast you surf
certain sites if it’s under the
umbrella of a subsidiary,”
explained Eric Ivacec.
Ivacec acts as the Desktop
and Web Support Specialist
for Ancilla College. “If they don’t approve of your surfing
habits, if they don’t want to support that, all they have to do
is dial down your speed.”
Ivacec’s worry is that more people are not aware of the
meaning of net neutrality.
“They don’t really understand the concept. The net is
supposed to be a worldwide platform for people to share
information,” he said. “Now you’ve got the government and
companies that go, ‘You can share this information, but only
at a lower speed’, or if you’ve got multiple connections to
a site that’s outside of their umbrella, they can literally just
shut it off. They can control what you read, what you hear,
what you watch.”
As it stands currently, there are no actual laws that regu-
late the internet and the information that is shared on it.
The potential for abuse by censorship is a real threat.
“It’s an incredibly scary thought, especially since they’re
doing this in broad daylight,” Ivacec explained.
Gerry Wood, owner of J & J Solutions computer service
and repair company, feels users overall will be left in the
cold.
“Users are going to end up getting the raw end of the deal.
I think if it’s going to pare it down, if the average user gets
in on it, it might not be a bad idea,” said Wood. “But the big
companies eat [the bandwidth] all up and users get the short
end, especially in this area.”
Bandwidth is, like many things, a limited commodity.
According to Wood, there is only so much of it to go around.
“Bandwidth is like a hose. You can turn it up full speed,
but you’re only going to get so much water.”
Slow internet speeds are a common problem, especially in
this area with regards to smaller business and average users.
“Most small users and small businesses in Marshall
County need band width to do their job,” said Wood.
Ancilla College does not suffer from this problem, as they
pay for higher speeds for the convenience of their student
body to be able to use it. As such, students in the college will
not necessarily be affected. Their usage tends towards more
medical and nursing related subjects, according to Ivacec.
“A lot of the web usage our students have is on specific
websites that don’t normally really deal with a subsidiary or
something, or it’s in healthcare.”
Ivacec’s feeling is any proposed measures are harmful all
around.
“It’s wrong because what you’re doing is you’re adding
a monetary component to what you’re already paying for,”
he said. “Say you’re paying $50 a month for a DSL (digital
subscriber line) connection, you would think that on the
internet you’re going at or around 50k. But if you’re going
through AT&T or SBC Yahoo ISP, if you go outside of them,
if you’re going to a CNN site, they’re going to turn down
your speed because they want you to watch stuff from their
people.”
The idea is akin to that of owning a cell phone. In that
instance, the phone’s owner is already paying for the phone,
but the device is only able to call specific numbers. If any
other number aside from those designated digits is called,
the subscriber would be charged more money, or in Ivacec’s
view, receive a worse quality call.
In addition to costing more money for customers to
receive higher quality speeds, it presents a challenge and
potential threat to small companies and startups across the
country.
In an official statement, Century Link, a company that
heavily serves Marshall County and other counties in the
area with internet and phone access, asserted their disagree-
ment with the FCC.
“CenturyLink’s network is built so customers can access
the Internet whenever, wherever and however they choose.
We strongly support a vibrant and open Internet. We believe
that above all else, any regulation of the Internet must help,
not harm consumers. This means both assuring openness,
as well as assuring that the Internet continues to grow to
meet rapidly escalating customer demand. Customers who
want higher speeds or better performance levels should be
allowed to pay for them, but regulations should not require
those who don’t want higher speeds or increased perfor-
mance levels to pay the same rates as those who do,” said
Exective Vice President for Public Policy and Government
Relations, Steve Davis.
Century Link and small companies, like Wood’s, would
be adversely affected. Small companies would not be able to
keep up the prices needed to pay for higher speeds to meet
the demands of consumers in order to compete with larger
companies that provide higher speeds at a premium price.
“It’s a bad idea because based on the pricing, start up
companies and small companies may not have the money,”
Wood explained. “Net neutrality opens up the possibility
that large companies can pay for unlimited speeds of five or
10 thousand dollars a month that smaller companies can’t
pay for, and knock us out.”
Wood’s business does much of its work remotely.
“We do a lot of remote support, because companies close
down at 5 p.m. We get in and do maintenance and support
for people. When we can’t do support remotely after hours,
it hurts us bad. This has to do with bandwidth exhaustion.”
Too many people on at once slows down speeds, and in
order to meet the demand of everyone, companies will place
a choke on speeds to ensure everyone’s demands are met.
Higher demands placed on smaller companies to compete
can have adverse side effects.
“[ISPs are] going to pass that price off to their customer,
first off. Second, [Larger ISPs will] also kill off a bunch of
local ISPs. Century Link would be in that umbrella, because
if they can’t offer the premium package for Netflix, then
people are going to be like, ‘Well, I’m going to go to Xfiniti.’
So Century Link will say ‘We can give you Netflix, but not
the HD Netflix.”
With those options, the fear is that people will go to the
competitor that will offer them what they want, forcing con-
sumers to pay a higher price, and drive the smaller company
out of business.
With the potential arrival of the dark fiber cable for the
Metronet project, Marshall County will begin to experience
higher speeds. This in turn will help ease the bandwidth
exhaustion that the area suffers.
“Right now, anything from 50 megabytes to 100 mega-
bytes a second would be very fast. Compared to Marshall
County, if you guys get 10 megabytes, it would be fast
for down here,” said Ivacec. “If you go to Indy, it’s like
4G where it’s 40 gigabytes through your cellphone. That’s
incredibly fast.”
Free to surf or pay to play?
‘Net Nuetrality’ likely to have an impact on Marshall County’s computer savvy community
“If they don’t approve
of your surfing habits, if
they don’t want to sup-
port that, all they have
to do is dial down your
speed.”
~ Eric Ivacec, Desktop
and Web Support
Specialist,
Ancilla College
“Net neutrality opens up the possibility that large
companies can pay for unlimited speeds of five
or 10 thousand dollars a month that
smaller companies can’t pay for,
and knock us out.”
~ Gerry Wood,
J&J Solutions
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