The results are finally in, and they are not what we were hoping for. While the rumors surrounding net neutrality continue to grow with (probably) a bit of over-exaggeration, there are a few things you should be prepared for.
As an Oklahoma bail bondsman, Laurie relies on the internet as much as the next person. For those of us with small businesses like the bail bonds industry, we might notice the lack of net neutrality more than others. This is why Laurie is making it a point to share a few things with her clients and readers that will better prepare them for the challenging times ahead.
Mobile
One of the things expected to notice the lack of net neutrality first are mobile plans. Most mobile plans already offer different packages for different things, which is why it would make sense that internet service providers would target the mobile industry first. The biggest change we might notice could involve additional packages for our mobile plans offering things like faster connections to social media or faster buffering speeds for streaming services.
For example, Verizon might offer a package that provides faster speeds for Facebook while AT&T might offer a package that provides faster speeds for apps like WhatsApp. Additionally, after your data plan is up, you might experience that you have access to certain apps still while other apps are no longer supported unless you purchase another data plan or package.
Bandwidth Throttling
Laurie utilizes the internet quite a lot while operating as a bail bondsman in OKC, which is exactly why she relies on its fast speeds to get the job done. This is similar for other small business owners. The internet is a part of the industrial future, after all. Now that net neutrality is out the window, one of the biggest things we will notice is our bandwidth being throttled slowly over time. First, you might notice that speeds on certain websites are beginning to lack.
After a while, internet service providers will begin offering plans for faster speeds. If you want to watch Netflix without constant buffering, you will have to purchase an additional plan that will provide you with the proper bandwidth to watch Netflix without buffering problems. That means, as a small business owner, if you want to provide your customers with a good web experience, you will have to purchase a plan that offers faster speeds or find some alternative.
Stealth
These changes will not happen overnight, nor will they happen in the next year. Even more, they will not happen all at once. Stealth is to be expected. Internet service providers will implement these changes slowly over time; making it seem like nothing is changing. In other words – five years from now, net neutrality will be completely gone and we will not even realize it. There is still one thing to remember though . . . it is not over yet.
We can still fight these change. We can still fight for the open internet we deserve.