iSchool doctoral candidate Ivette Bayo Urban was on Monday, Dec. 11, to discuss Net Neutrality.
Bayo Urban and KIRO host Zak Burns discussed how Net Neutrality regulations prevent internet service providers from discriminating or charging different amounts for certain users or certain content. Despite for Net Neutrality, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has scheduled a vote for Thursday, Dec. 14, for the FCC to eliminate the regulations.
鈥淩emoving Net Neutrality means that the individuals and entities that value maximizing profits 鈥 that鈥檚 going to be the priority,鈥 Bayo Urban told Burns. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to change the way people access information, because the companies and providers can throttle who鈥檚 in the fast lane and who鈥檚 in the slow lane.鈥
Bayo Urban pointed out that marginalized populations will be affected most by the repeal of Net Neutrality provisions. And she said people will have a tougher time making informed choices if telecommunications companies choose what information people can find online.
Bayo Urban recently led a Critical Pedagogy Summit at the University of Washington that produced a statement in support of Net Neutrality and a press release on its importance. She also recently authored a about why Net Neutrality is important to her.