Why net neutrality is a big deal for small business

What is net neutrality?

Net neutrality means that Internet service providers (ISPs) must allow every website and application to be accessed by consumers. ISPs should not be able to favor certain sources, block other sources, or decrease speed.

Until now, big companies like Facebook, Netflix and Amazon have been paying ISPs to deliver their content faster. So your music school’s video tutorials might load a lot slower than those of the big guys.

What’s going on with it?

Last week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to pass new rules to ensure equal access to the internet. The 3-2 vote gave the FCC the ability to regulate the internet as a utility. It prevents ISPs from favoring the big guys who can pay for “Internet fast lanes,” and it keeps them from blocking the websites of companies that don’t pay an extra fee or that fall out of favor with the ISP.

Cool, so what does that mean for me?

Most small- and medium-size businesses don’t have the extra cash to pay cable companies to load their sites faster. Now that you don’t have to pay for it, small businesses can compete with the big companies that have been able to pay for faster website load times. The FCC and Net Neutrality are helping to even the playing field for all the small business websites and apps out there.