On Monday, President Barack Obama entered the fight for net neutrality, the idea that all content on the Internet should be given equal loading times by Internet service providers like Comcast and Cox. Obama urged the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify broadband Internet service as a utility like water or electricity. This would allow the federal government to demand certain standards of net neutrality from all ISPs but would also give the FCC more power over these companies. Opponents of enforced net neutrality argue that it puts undue burden on businesses and intrudes on the free market. Do you believe Internet access is a right and do you support Obama’s plan to make the Internet a utility?

Michael Corn

For the last 20 years, the Internet has been a catalyst for massive social change across the globe. It has achieved this to a large extent because of the de facto existence of net neutrality throughout its history. We need only look at the reaction of the totalitarian regimes to the Internet—filtering, blocking and intrusive monitoring—to witness the fear these regimes have of the free exchange of ideas. It’s ironic to hear those opposed to net neutrality do so under the banner of free markets and capitalism when net neutrality has itself given rise to those very markets. But to more directly answer the question: in a society where the information needed for civil engagement, such as informed voting, is primarily provided via technologies built on top of the Internet, how can we not view Internet access as a right?

Michael Corn is the University’s deputy chief information officer.

Aaditya Prakash

I strongly believe that unregulated Internet is a basic right, and Barack Obama’s decision to classify Internet services under Title II of the Telecommunications Act is a welcome move. If this move succeeds, it will prevent greedy corporations like Comcast from taking content hostage and charging fees to providers and consumers for unthrottled bandwidth. In addition to major websites, the Internet is also made up of smaller hobbyist sites, mom-and-pop eStores, education providers and many other smaller content providers. If the FCC’s proposal were to go through, it would severely limit the reach of these smaller providers. This would lead to an unfair advantage for rich corporations, and creativity from up-and-coming Internet companies would be quashed. The Internet is one of the most important inventions of 21st century and is most widely used as a medium to exercise freedom of speech. Letting corporations dictate how it should be structured will lead to a breakdown of this great platform.

Aaditya Prakash is a Ph.D candidate in the Computer Science department.

Christa Caggiano '17

In 2011, a United Nations report declared that access to the Internet is a human right. 2011 was a pivotal moment in history: it was the year of the Arab Spring. Egypt brought down a dictator with the Internet and irrevocably changed the course of history. The right to Internet is the right to free speech, the right to protest, and it is the right to participate in making an identity for yourself in a society where our identities are so wholly tied to an online world. Since Internet is a concrete thing, it is a right that is incredibly easy to take away. Egypt tried, Saudi Arabia does to an extent and North Korea almost completely. I am not saying eradicating net neutrality would eradicate free speech completely, but in my opinion, it becomes increasingly problematic when too much power goes into the hands of too few. Internet is truly power, and I think as the bastion of freedom that America claims to be, we should take all measures to protect the rights guaranteed to us. 

Christa Caggiano ’17 is the president of Brandeis Amnesty International. 

Shmuel Trieger '16

I am unequivocally in support of net neutrality and Obama’s plan to make it a utility.  Given the ubiquitousness of technology in today’s day and age, Internet is an absolute necessity to be a functioning, productive member of society.  People without access to Internet are at an incredible disadvantage in almost every aspect of life, including their ability to access job markets, utilize free online education and perhaps even most importantly in a free and democratic society, to educate themselves toward making an informed decision when voting.  As technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, Internet will only become more and more of a necessity.  America already lags behind a majority of the developed world in terms of access to and quality of Internet.  Now is the time to address this national problem, and Obama’s plan is an important step toward that end.

Shmuel Trieger ’16 is an Economics major.