Should Net Neutrality Exist?

When it comes to American society one of the core values that seems to be constantly brought up is equality. It is also one of the values America fails to uphold, and this equality struggle doesn't only affect real life issues but also online issues as well. Net Neutrality is the idea that information on the internet should be available to all regardless of internet provider, source, and/or content. The purpose of the internet was to be able to connect, communicate and have information readily available to us. The principle of Net Neutrality reinforces this purpose and keeps the internet and it's information open and available. Recently though, as in January of 2025 the push to make Net Neutrality a power for the federal government was brought to an end because the U.S Court of Appeals denied the Federal Communication Commission the right to treat Internet Service Providers like a public utility. This means that the states continue to have the power over their internet service providers, and have the ability to control what you can and cannot access on the internet as well as prices and regulations. This of course has brought plenty of mixed opinions, some people want it to be government regulated so internet access remains open and equal, while others do not want it to become a public utility because it will slow down the innovations and increase the cost of ISP's. Not to mention the potential of government overreach limiting ruining ISP's universally. 

I believe that net neutrality is absolutely important for the function of our society and government. The fact that people can get different information based on location, wealth, and state agenda doesn't seem fair, and it promotes the idea that the internet isn't for everyone and that information is reserved for only specific people. The current biggest fear is ISP's locking services behind unfair pay walls and information being kept from people who are not able to afford these services. It doesn't make sense to have a society that is centered around the internet and technological advancement, and not have the internet be readily accessible for everyone. Just because someone doesn't pay enough money doesn't mean they don't deserve to access that information. This could be used more radically to promote certain political viewpoints over a certain pay threshold, which means that the impoverished are forced to see information about only one political party. I shouldn't need to explain how scary and corrupt that possibility is, and yet people are more focused on their exclusive perks because they paid more.

The role of the internet over time has been becoming too important to not make it a public utility. Just like water and electricity it is becoming a necessity for America's prosperity and daily function. While paying more money for a faster internet service is how we live today, is it really something that we want to keep enduring? Schools are transitioning to online assignments, jobs are transitioning to online onboarding processes, even restaurants are adopting online menus. Having a slower internet service can interfere with the accessibility of small things like this. It is not just some grand issue that makes little to no difference, this is an issue that could solve quite a few issues in the lives of the majority of the public.