The Federal Communications Commission has just created a “Haves” and “Have-Nots” culture in the entire universe, i.e., the internet.  After the new ruling, which you can read here, internet providers can now charge for faster lanes of internet speed to those willing to pay for it.  This means that smaller websites will be slower, and consumers will be forced to navigate an unreliable landscape of sites.  Prior to this ruling, all internet traffic was treated the same.

So what does this mean to you?  As an average internet user, it means that your favorite sites could become clunky or just shut down altogether.  It means that schools that cannot afford to pay for faster internet will suffer, either with impossibly slow sites or with shutting down that option for students entirely.  This will create an even greater divide between the wealthy and the economically disadvantaged — effects that will have lifelong ramifications.

Why all this turmoil?  Money. It’s always about the money. Big internet providers want more of it, and their lobbyists were successful.  See where this is going?  Money makes the world go around, and now it will make the internet go around – but only for those who can afford it.

Great job, FCC.  Our Founding Fathers, who created a government where all men are created equal, would sure love that you’ve just effectively reversed what our country stands for.  Your elected officials will still get fast internet while their constituents — who vote them into office and whose taxes pay their salaries — will now not be able to efficiently and effectively communicate with the world. Bravo.