If you’ve come to read this blog, chances are high that you either have a website already or are thinking of starting one. Chances are also high that you’ve at least heard mention of net neutrality and how it was recently reversed. So here’s the big questions — What is net neutrality? Will it affect me? Will people be able to find my website? Will my website still load properly?
What is Net Neutrality?
To keep things short, it’s the idea that everything on the internet should be accessible fairly and equally. In other words, your internet provider can’t pick and choose what websites are okay for you to visit and what websites will be loading quickly or slowly (or maybe even not at all).
To give a quick example, a lot of people use Netflix. With net neutrality, you’re always going to be given the best speed you’re paying for by your internet provider no matter what. Without it, your internet provider might have a deal with a competitor of Netflix and therefor reduce the speeds you’re given on the site. Another provider might have a deal with Netflix for the best speeds and so you’d need to switch.
Will if affect me?
As a consumer? Almost definitely. Internet companies will certainly take advantage of this over the next few years to increase their profits.
As a website owner? Maybe. Unless your website is huge, you’ll likely not be seeing much change. Some users might end up with longer load times thanks to their own internet but really not a whole lot should change with your website.
Will people still be able to see my website?
Absolutely! Your website won’t be changing in any way. The removal of Net Neutrality in the United States has nothing at all to do with websites and has everything to do with internet access and speeds.
Will my website still load properly?
It should. Again, if you don’t have a huge website then you shouldn’t be running into any issues with different load times. You certainly won’t be noticing any changes immediately, either. Net neutrality was a big deal and internet providers are only now starting to consider their options with the change. Chances are that changes won’t occur until 2019 or later.
Net neutrality was a big idea and we all need to be prepared for the change. What do you need to do differently? Nothing. Don’t be hasty and rush to make changes to your website. Wait and see what internet providers do first. If the changes start affecting your website or if you think they might, then you can make a decision.