Net Neutrality is a compelling issue for U.S. Internet users, according to results of a survey taken by the Consumer Reports National Research Center (CRNRC). Seventy-one percent of respondents said they would try to switch Internet Service Providers (ISPs) if their provider “were to try to block, slow down , or charge more for bandwidth-heavy services, such as Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, Pandora, and Skype.”
Seventy percent of survey respondents said they would complain to their ISPs if such actions were taken. Forty-six percent said they would complain to Congress and/or the FCC, 39% said they would post complaints on social media, and 10% said they would drop Internet service entirely.
Last month’s federal court ruling ( Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission ) effectively “dismantled much of the FCC’s Open Internet rules, which forbid ISPs from blocking or discriminating between different types of traffic over the network connections they provide to customers,” the CRNRC report authors note.
The FCC is considering an appeal. Alternatively, it may revise the Open Internet rules, or could reclassify ISPs as “common carriers,” Consumer Reports points out. That would put them under a greater degree of regulatory oversight.
