Technological advancements are being introduced at increasingly fast rates around the world. Several companies, especially those operating in the Information Technology industry, have had to make adjustments to their strategies because being there first can identify you as a revolutionary organization that is known for innovation. Whereas getting there a bit late can label you a follower, which is a label that is extremely hard to shrug off.
As technology advances, examples being cloud technology, an increase in viewers of online television and online gaming follows, and an apparent need was identified by the FCC for significant enhancements in the infrastructure of internet providers to support such advancements.
How Does the Initiative Affect You
Although the advantages are easy to identify, the cons of the operation are minimal but they do affect most consumers. Internet providers are now going to have to make further enhancements that may not have been deemed necessary to sustain, or promote, their business for at least a few more years to come. However, this initiative launched by the FCC requires them to fast track these enhancements, which are unplanned, and rather significant investments for a majority of the internet service providers.
The bottom line is that this investment, although it is one that would very probably be lucrative and beneficial for these organizations in the long run, would most probably have to be incurred by you, the consumer. Most organizations would incur a massive cut on their short term profits. This hit couldn’t have come at a worse time, especially because some of these organizations, who didn’t have much to show their shareholders during the recession, were finally looking to show profits and make up for lost revenue.
But now, with the FCC initiative in effect, these organizations are anticipating at least a couple more quarters, if not more, of slim profits. To increase their margin of profits, these organizations are most likely going to revise their pricing strategy, even if it means the loss of a few customers here and there.
Not Every Thing is Gloomy
Although this initiative might mean higher costs for us, it also comes with several benefits. For one, faster internet! Picture a doorknob on your door and imagine it to be the internet speed you have access to right now. With the proposed initiative, the speeds you’d be able to access would be the size of the entire door. Imagine what you can achieve with such enhanced services. Such is the transformation that would take place globally.
Sharing files, accessing information, and communication would be streamlined across the board. Although in the US, we already have access to high-speed internet thanks to fiber optic technology, it’s still hard for us to share information on a global level because most countries are not up to par with the services our ISPs provide.
Even though various countries, especially the Scandinavians, Norway, and Sweden in particular, are investing in the latest technology in an attempt to gain level, huge parts of the globe are still lagging far behind. The FCC’s latest initiative gives the rest of the world an opportunity to catch up with the United States and the handful of other countries that set the bar high when it comes to high-speed internet services.
The Speed Bump on the Way
The FCC initiative might be rosy for some, gloomy for others but one thing is certain. Internet service providers do not appreciate being regulated at the best of times, and the fifth principle, which prevents them from controlling content and applications on the Internet, that is being proposed definitely won’t sit well with them.
Conclusion
The raging debate about the Internet’s future and how it should be regulated, if it needs to be or should be regulated at all, looks set to rage on for quite a while yet. Although a resolution in favor of either scenario seems doubtful at best, the most likely outcome is a drawn-out compromise where certain aspects of the World Wide Web will be regulated in the future while others will continue to operate much in the way they have always done.
Photo by Taylor Vick on Unsplash.
