99% of Americans that can afford to pay for the internet, have it and use it.

But the internet is still being controlled by an array of private companies, all
differing in their own ways. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Comcast,
Verizon, Cox Cable, and AT&T, have free reign over their consumers. Because of
this, the internet should be a utility, like electricity or water; or at least be
reclassified as common carriers, like phone companies.
The internet is becoming a daily necessity, similar to electricity, water, or
(cell) phones. What would your life be like without a connection to the internet? A
CNN article from 1998 states that 67% of a group of over 1000 people chose to
have the internet over a cell phone or TV (D'Amico). That was 16 years ago!
Imagine how those numbers have increased by now. From 2006 to 2014, Pew
Research Internet Project found that the internet became much harder to give up
than TV. Pew also stated that in January of this year, the internet was the most
difficult technology to give up, easily overtaking cell phones, email, TV, and landline
phones. Because of this, the internet should no longer be regarded to as a luxury,
but instead should be reclassified similar to cell phone companies, where they will
be better regulated.
Todays private internet service providers (ISPs) are causing the U.S.s
internet speeds to fall behind those of many other countries. Ookla Speedtest, the
major website and company in charge of gauging internet speeds, shows that the
U.S. is ranked 31st across the globe for download speeds, far behind Hong Kong and
Singapore. The reason for this, according to John Aziz is that, "huge
telecommunication companies [have] divided up markets and put themselves in a
position where they're subject to no competition." Because of these ISPs modifying
the markets to ensure their lack of competition, they are able to charge increasing

prices for mediocre connections (Aziz). With ISPs reclassified and regulated, the
prices will more than likely drop to a reasonable level.
Net neutrality is also a rising issue in the fight for a better internet. But what
is it? Net neutrality would be better explained in the words of the American Civil
Liberties Union: Network neutrality means applying well-established common
carrier rules to the Internet in order to preserve its freedom and openness. Being a
common carrier means that the ISP cannot discriminate by blocking or slowing
any particular connection (ALCU). Think of it this way: these giant internet service
providers basically control the internet. There is no competition no other
companies or policies able to stop them. If, for example, a new internet services
provider tried to join the fray, theyd need to send their connections through the
higher-ups the aforementioned giants in order to even give their customers a
connection. The reason this doesnt happen: these giants can just block or slow
the newbies connection, making it nearly impossible for them to compete. This
would all be solved if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) were to pass
the act that will disallow this kind of unfairness.
A common thought among people fighting over the state of the internet is
that reclassifying ISPs as common carriers will give the government too much
control over them. This is very much not true. If reclassification were to happen, the
government would only have enough control over ISPs to ensure that they are not
discriminating in any way. Currently, cell phone companies are classified as
common carriers, and there are no signs of excessive government control.
A second concern for government getting involved in how ISPs act is that
competition between ISP companies will be hindered. The thought here is that
hindered competition will lead to less innovation, or less improvement. But

competition cannot be hindered if there is no competition already! Most areas in the

U.S. only have one or two ISPs available to them, so there is usually little to no
competition among them.
Internet service providers, the companies that supply an internet connection
to households and businesses, should be classified as common carriers, requiring
them to equally provide a stable internet connection to all customers. This is
necessary in order to maintain and protect net neutrality, improve connection
speeds, and ensure that the future of the world, as it will be more and more
dependent on the internet, is correctly managed and protected. Despite common
beliefs, the government will have strict limits on what they have control over and
competition will be improved instead of hindered.