You may not realize it, but the end of net neutrality is a serious concern for small businesses. Larger companies will now have an advantage over small ones.
What is net neutrality?
According to Google, network neutrality is “the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.”
What does it mean now that net neutrality is dead?
Internet service providers can now decide which websites and apps they will allow access to, as well as, the speed at which they will run. Now, service providers can make companies pay a fee in order for their website to run faster. It turns a level playing field into a skewed one, especially for smaller businesses. Not only will this affect companies, but internet users, as well. It is possible that we might have to pay to use a certain website or to make it speed up.
How will it affect my small business?
Smaller businesses have always had to compete with larger corporations and it hasn’t always been an easy task considering that large corporations have more means. But, they did find relief when it came to the internet because they always had an equal playing field. Now that net neutrality is dead, internet service providers will be charging fees that small businesses just won’t have the money to pay. That means that their websites will run slower than the corporate giants which will result in irritated customers. You have to admit that when your internet is running slow and you’re trying to do some online shopping, most of the time you just throw in the towel. Then, you continue your online shopping at a later date when the internet is back on track. Well, this is how it’s going to be every day for smaller companies. It won’t be as easy to take a quick glance at the menu of your favorite, local restaurant. You won’t be able to as easily buy that product from a mom and pop e-commerce site. The end of net neutrality could have some serious repercussions for small businesses.
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Resources:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2011-04-15-net-neutrality-small-business.htm
http://voices.yahoo.com/losing-net-neutrality-will-stifle-innovators-small-12507209.html
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/15/tech/web/net-neutrality-explained/
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-net-neutrality-20140114,0,522106.story#axzz2sSt3KDlS
SeanWF via photopin cc
