Dive Brief:
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More than eight in 10 IT pros in the U.S. are in favor of keeping current net neutrality regulations in place, according to a new Spiceworks survey of more than 400 U.S. IT pros.
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Additionally, 78% fear a repeal would give too much power to ISPs and 68% fear any changes could affect revenue at their organization. On top of that, there is widespread concern that with net neutrality rules repealed, internet providers could slow or throttle internet speeds for specific types of content.
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Another major concern is that government entities or corporations could use repealed net neutrality standards to limit free speech.
Dive Insight:
President Donald Trump has already indicated he wants to repeal net neutrality rules, and the appointment of Ajit Pai as FCC chairman this week has not done much to quell concerns. Pai has been an outspoken critic of net neutrality rules. As FCC chairman, he will now be in a position to quickly begin dismantling those rules, if he chooses.
Spicework’s survey found IT professionals think a repeal of net neutrality rules could have cascading impacts for both businesses and private citizens. The survey points to concern about increased internet costs, a limited access to "important" internet services and the fear that some important internet content will be blocked entirely.
Net neutrality extends far beyond the private citizen's efforts to stream Netflix at high speeds. Instead, the rules also benefit cloud service providers and other organizations transferring large quantities of data. The former chairman of the FCC, Tom Wheeler, warned that businesses could "lose their choice of cloud services and applications" if the rules are repealed.
