Life in the Slow Lane: Tech Stands Up for Net Neutrality

We’re living in an era of wall-to-wall news, a lot of it quite alarming. It’s easy to get overwhelmed — and to despair. But in this seemingly endless pile-up of crises, it is important for Los Angeles FinTech app developers to remember that net neutrality is in peril. We cannot lose sight of this fight. Many in the app development community have already gone to DearFCC and spoken out against the FCC’s plan to get rid of net neutrality regulations (and if you haven’t, get on it), but the open internet is dangerously close to being dismantled. The struggle has only just begun.

Fortunately, it’s not just individuals standing up to the FCC. Today, more than 70,000 tech companies, nonprofits, cities, and passionate individuals are speaking out in support of net neutrality. Big names like Google, Amazon, and Netflix are among the companies participating in this Day of Action. They will be posting a banner on their websites reading things like, “Sorry, we’re stuck in the slow lane,” with a portal for site visitors to make their complaint to the FCC. The message should be clear to FinTech app developers: without proper net neutrality protections, telecommunications companies could establish a “pay to play” system that favors certain website and therefore stifles competition and innovation.

Two of the three FCC commissioners are widely expected to vote in favor of overturning the existing net neutrality regulations when the matter comes to a vote in August. But that doesn’t mean that FinTech app developers should throw up their hands. There are a lot of diverse voices protesting the FCC’s plans to destroy the open internet. Senators Ron Wyden and Brian Schatz wrote the FCC, telling them that they better be ready for the influx of comments that are sure to come flooding in today. The FCC website has crashed before when net neutrality was on the chopping block. Given the amount of outrage about this issue, it wouldn’t be surprising if the site were to crash again.