Net Neutrality Vote – The Internet Could Suck From Here On

Congress is deciding today whether to let big companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T control the quality and speed of your access to the Internet based on what content they choose when they vote on Net Neutrality.

The Internet is nothing more than a series of computers linked together by the Internet Service Providers (ISP).  Just like the roads we all drive on and the good old-fashioned landline, the promise made to the people of America by ISPs has always been a reliable connection regardless of what content is being accessed.  If net neutrality loses today, ISPs can charge higher rates to independent content creators if they compete with them (insert Netflix here).  They can control what you access on the Internet, how fast your connection is and whether or not you see it at all based on their discretion.
This country is built on the principles of freedom of speech and equal access to whoever is speaking.  Today that speech is largely done online and the speaker is often a website. No corporation has the right to limit this.  If we allow big media and corporations to control our access to content, then we are living in a fascist regime. As an owner of a digital marketing and web design company, my entire livelihood depends on reliable access to many different websites, apps and downloads.  If Net-Neutrality fails, many apps you use on your smartphone, independent online news sources, forums, and video websites will be run out of business. They’ll be charged excessive rates by the cable companies and ISPs all because their content is popular and wasn’t created by the ISP.  If they don’t pay up, the cable companies and ISPs will slow down the traffic to the point where the user experience is so poor no one will use them.  Think about never being able to load a movie on Netflix and only being able to choose from your ISP’s video library, that sucks!  #netneutrality

About Matt Ross

Matt Ross is the President and Founder of DigitalHipster Inc. est. 2009.  Matt and his Wife Wendy have two adult sons. He's a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Alumni, a member of The Society of Martin Scholars at The University of Akron, and an active member in a few book clubs. When he's not deep in code and cranking music, or trying to keep up with the latest Google Algorithm, Matt is gardening, mountain biking, off-roading in his Jeep, writing for fun or being a guinea pig for his wife's yoga instruction. He lives and works in Highland Square Akron, Ohio. For the 15 years prior to launching DigitalHipster Inc.  Matt worked as a Senior Advertising Account Executive and Integrated Sales Director for major television stations and newspapers in the Akron, Cleveland, Phoenix and Las Vegas markets. He has successfully planned, sold and executed millions of dollars in innovative multi-platform advertising campaigns consisting of television commercials, web video, content integration, multi-carrier mobile WAP sites, print ads, and radio. Matt says, "During my years working in broadcast and print media, I learned how to gather real-time advertising response rates and develop cost-effect creative that works for my clients.  By working for over a decade on the sales side with millions of dollars of advertising revenue, I learned how to spot bargains for my clients and see what worked and what didn't. We're not just a team of graphic designers, or artists that take chances with your ad budget. We have real advertising experience across all the major advertising channels."