Rollback of Net Neutrality Has Small Businesses Worried<br />A proposal on Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission would undo so-called net neutrality rules<br />that barred high-speed internet service providers from adjusting website delivery speeds and charging customers extra for access.<br />In a blog post on Tuesday, Comcast’s chief executive, David N. Watson, wrote<br />that his company “does not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content.”<br />Internet service providers say that the proposal would lead to a better variety of services for online customers and more innovation in the industry.<br />Nearly a quarter of American adults made money last year using digital platforms to take on a job or a task, selling something<br />online or renting out their properties using a home-sharing site like Airbnb, according to the Pew Research Center<br />Without those regulations, GoodLight and other smaller businesses fear they may not have a level digital<br />playing field to compete against deep-pocketed industry giants that could pay to get an edge online.<br />Many entrepreneurs worried that, without net neutrality provisions, internet providers<br />would wield their increased power to control how businesses reach consumers.<br />Internet giants like Google and Amazon say that net neutrality preserves free speech; telecom titans like AT&T and Verizon warn<br />that the existing rules put a chokehold on free-market commerce.
