Internet Must Go video leaked

On Monday, a video mockumentary titled The Internet Must Go was “leaked” online. The video follows the character John Wooley, a market researcher who tries to come up with a plan for how internet service providers can try to market what internet access would look like without network neutrality protections. After traveling the nation and speaking with policy experts, entrepreneurs and people living in rural areas, John Wooley sees the error of his ways.  

Network neutrality is the concept that internet service providers cannot prioritize some websites or online services over others and must treat online content equally. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) codified the rules governing this concept in the 2010 Open Internet Order, which has important implications for future economic growth and free speech online. The rules prevent the creation of internet “fast lanes” and “slow lanes” where large and powerful companies could pay internet service providers for preferential service, while startups, small entrepreneurs, and anyone else who could not afford to pay for such preference might see their online content load at slower speeds. The rules also prevent companies from flat-out blocking certain services over their networks.

The release of this film is particularly well-timed because the FCC is currently facing legal challenges over the scope of the the Open Internet Order and the agency’s authority over broadband service. While the debate about the Order may be the headline issue, it is not the only issue — the underlying questions surrounding the scope of the FCC’s authority over broadband service could hamstring the FCC’s ability to implement important policies going forward.

We highlighted some of these questions here at OTI last week in an event titled The Open Internet Goes to Court. Participants discussed how the loss of FCC authority over internet services would negatively impact larger public interest goals of ensuring that all Americans have access to communications services, maintaining a level playing field for new competitors in content creation and internet service provisioning, and preserving the internet as an open, unencumbered forum for public discourse. These broader themes, particularly the question of access, were highlighted in the film as well. In one scene, the protagonist visits rural North Carolina and witnesses firsthand how lack of broadband access limits economic and educational opportunities. The FCC needs tools at its disposal to ensure that we are not leaving communities behind in the digital age.

This week, the debate continues with Lifeline Awareness Week. A component of the Universal Service Fund, the Lifeline program provides low-income families with a discount on telephone service. Attempts are underway to transition the program to support broadband service through the implementation of a pilot program and by broadening support to include broadband when offered in a bundled package. However, these efforts are incomplete, and generally extend only to phone companies offering broadband service (and not to other internet service providers). Moreover, even these reforms may be undermined should the FCC lose its authority over the provision of internet services.

The Internet Must Go video provides an amusing and insightful take on the debate around network neutrality. The video is also an opportunity to learn more about a larger question in  communications policy: whether the FCC can play a role in ensuring that our nation has universal and affordable access to broadband services.