One Senator Proves ISPs Still Don't Give a Fuck About You

In a recent response to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Internet service providers (ISPs) declined to pledge not to engage in establishing Internet "fast lanes" if Net Neutrality laws fail to pass. Earlier in October, Sen. Leahy called on ISPs to make a firm commitment to "never engage in that behavior in the absence of clear rules prohibiting such deals." While they acknowledged that they are not currently involved in paid prioritization, none of them agreed to avoid such practices in the future. This is a significant revelation for all Internet users, especially those in the music community.

Politics aside, what is Net Neutrality anyway? At its core, it means that all Internet data is equal. Whether you're ordering a pizza at 2am, streaming the latest FlyLo album on SoundCloud, or ripping PC Music mp3s from a torrent site, the speed at which websites deliver data to you should be constant. Without Net Neutrality, ISPs will have the ability to charge content providers or web serivces to enter fast lanes or establish "paid prioritization" plans. Late in 2013, Comcast showed us all how easily they can say "fuck you" to Net Neutrality by throttling Netflix, the results of which have since been hotly debated.

On any given day at THUMP, we stream several dozen albums on SoundCloud, bounce a few stem packs to producers on WeTransfer, and watch more music videos on Vimeo than we care to let our Editor-in-Chief know. If each of these websites were throttled or were forced to pay extra to each additional ISP, the online music experience as we know it would be forever altered.

Think about how many different websites you, a music listener or creator, use in your daily quest to discover or produce new music. Now, think about how deep their pockets are. Chances are, they won't have the money to enter the "fast lanes" run by only a handful of corporate overlords. Even if they do, those expenses will be felt further down the line by you, the consumer.

If you work at an emerging music technology startup, the picture is even more bleak. Would SoundCloud exist today if they'd been forced to pay for priority access from the get-go? Would you use a SoundCloud that couldn't stream songs efficiently? No, of course not.

Net Neutrality affects everyone, especially people in the music industry who rely on new technology and the exchange of ideas to further their art (and commerce). By failing to acknoledge Sen. Leahy's call to action, ISPs have shown once again that a free and open Internet is the least of their concerns.

In January, when the Republican party takes control of the Senate, Net Neutrality advocates lose a staunch advocate in Leahy, who will no longer be the Judiciary Committee's chair. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is exepcted to take his place. Sen. Grassley, age 81, said as recently as October that he belives any regulation of fast lanes would undermine the "competitive vibrancy" of the Internet.

Without action, music fans may be doomed to a dark age of the web thanks to the decisions of a few senior citizens.

Ziad Ramley is on Twitter: @ZiadRamley