Why Net Neutrality Should Matter To Journalists
The internet is one of the few places where ordinary citizens can be as powerful and as influential as ‘legacy’ media houses.
The internet gives citizens a voice to speak out against the rich and powerful, and is an important counter-balance to the massive influence that corporations and political elites have over our lives.
But, the internet only serves as a level playing field if there is ‘net neutrality.
Net neutrality is the principle that anyone can be free to access all content and applications equally, irrespective of the source and without any interference from Internet service providers.
In Kenya, it means that Safaricom, Access Kenya, JTL or any other ISP cannot control what you do on the internet, and that they should only provide open networks and should not block or discriminate against any applications or content that is availed through those networks. They should not be concerned with what you view or post online.
Net neutrality is what has made the internet such a viable alternative to traditional media.
Whereas it takes lots of money to operate a television or radio station and publish and distribute newspapers, the internet is the one place where an individual can be as powerful and as influential as a media house. The beauty of an open net is that anyone wishing to access your blog can do so at the same speed and ease as it is when he/she is accessing the website of a media conglomerate.
However, imagine a situation where the ISPs can decide with what speeds people can access your website? They can reduce the speed by which pages can load or they might stop this from happening if they don’t like the content or if they determine it is in competition with what they are offering.
In Kenya, as in most of the continent, more and more people are accessing the internet on their mobile phones. Young people in particular, are increasingly turning to online sources for news and current events. Media organisations are responding to this by creating new online business models and services that present news stories in new and dynamic ways. Maintaining an open and sustainable Internet — where publishers can continue to distribute important content serving the public interest without restrictions imposed on the ability of the public to receive that content — is essential to ensuring the media continued to play its role in informing the public.
So why should journalists care?
Because the future of journalism is bound up in the future of the Internet. No journalist or publisher should be held hostage by commercial or political whims of the ISPs. Net Neutrality is about creating a level playing field for all voices. Its about being able to use the Internet to help transform big data into apps and tools that enable people to engage and participate in their own governance; help governments deliver better services to citizens; assist journalists in exposing the truth and help activists solve problems in their communities.
Read about what net neutrality means for emerging democracies like Kenya here.
