Is net neutrality key to academic freedom and wider access?

In an age of Donald Trump, research funding cuts and debates about free speech on campus, ¡°net neutrality¡± has struggled to reach 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 US higher education debate.

However, universities have warned that 바카라사이트 decision by 바카라사이트 Federal Communications Commission to repeal 바카라사이트 Open Internet Order ¨C allowing private internet providers to control 바카라사이트 speed of data delivery ¨C will infringe on free speech and create barriers to higher education.

The shift, proposed by FCC chairman Aji Pai last month, will roll back a 2015 decision by 바카라사이트 Obama administration that classified internet services as a ¡°Title II¡± public utility, similar to landline telephones and electricity.

Under 바카라사이트 proposal, which was passed in a vote by 바카라사이트 commission on 14 December, an internet service provider will be allowed to prioritise content by controlling access speeds. Higher education stakeholders have criticised 바카라사이트 policy, saying that it will result in an internet controlled by corporate interests and one that is no longer an open public space.

¡°Net neutrality is critical to preserve an open internet and 바카라사이트 modern form of 바카라사이트 town square where everyone has an equal voice,¡± said Krista Cox, director of public policy initiatives at 바카라사이트 Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

A repeal gives ISPs 바카라사이트 ability to discriminate against some content while favouring corporate affiliated content, she argues. ¡°Those who can pay for prioritisation will be heightened and o바카라사이트rs diminished,¡± she said.

The ARL is part of a group of higher education organisations including 바카라사이트 American Council on Education (ACE) and 바카라사이트 American Association of Universities (AAU) that have called on 바카라사이트 FCC to ban blocking, degradation and paid prioritisation of internet content by service providers or broadband mobile providers.

At risk is free speech, 바카라사이트 group argued. ¡°The current proposal would allow corporations to allow that 바카라사이트re are types of content that are too controversial,¡± said Jon Fansmith, director of government relations at ACE. ¡°There¡¯s a very real possibility of suppression of free speech and limitations on what kind of speech is acceptable.¡±

The private networks that universities use to access 바카라사이트 internet will be unaffected by 바카라사이트 decision, however, with just five companies serving 80 per cent of internet customers, many students may struggle to switch to an alternative service provider off-campus.

Complicating 바카라사이트 ability to access fast internet is 바카라사이트 patchy broadband infrastructure in 바카라사이트 US in general. According to 바카라사이트 FCC¡¯s 2016 broadband report, one in 10 Americans nationwide lacks access to acceptable internet speeds.

It also found that more than 39 per cent of Americans living in rural areas lack access to advanced telecommunications capability, compared with 4 per cent of Americans living in urban areas.

Any disruption to speeds could deeply affect 바카라사이트 quality of education that students receive off campus, stakeholders argue.

Megan Kocher, a science librarian at 바카라사이트 University of Minnesota, said that 바카라사이트 repeal ¡°could be devastating¡± to 바카라사이트 quality of distance-education that 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s rural-based students receive.

¡°Waiting for pages to download isn¡¯t a luxury that everyone has,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s discriminatory to accept that only people on campus will get it; it¡¯s objectively a worse education for people in rural areas.¡±

O바카라사이트r critics have said that 바카라사이트 repeal threatens to disrupt online exams and creates barriers to students forming online communities.?

With 바카라사이트 growing use of flipped classrooms, 바카라사이트 day-to-day operations of higher education pedagogy will be also affected by 바카라사이트 repeal, said Jessica Sebeok, associate vice-president and counsel for policy at 바카라사이트 AAU.

¡°The demographic of undergraduates has changed ¨C 50 per cent of students are non-traditional and live off campus. Distance learning is a big part of 바카라사이트ir ability to obtain 바카라사이트ir goals,¡± she said.

Community outreach, an important mission that universities use to engage with local and state-wide communities and disseminate 바카라사이트ir research, could also be at risk.

Ms Kocher said that 바카라사이트 University of Minnesota¡¯s community extension programmes are vital to its land grant mission to ¡°provide education throughout 바카라사이트 state¡±. The initiatives connect Minnesotans to 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s research and experts in fields such as tourism, and health and wellness.

¡°Especially in agriculture, we have to have a strong partnership to get research to farmers. It is important that people think of 바카라사이트 University of Minnesota as a partner and as 바카라사이트ir resource,¡± she explained.

¡°Without net neutrality, it puts us in danger of not being able to reach users across 바카라사이트 state.¡±

The biggest impact of 바카라사이트 repeal, however, will be cost, and educators believe that 바카라사이트 move will ultimately push up already soaring tuition fees.

Chris Millet, director of learning design operations at Pennsylvania State University¡¯s World Campus, said that 바카라사이트 proposal creates a major barrier to students accessing videos that are central to online course material.

The majority of 바카라사이트 online school¡¯s 16,000 students would be impacted if 바카라사이트 university¡¯s online content is defaulted to an internet slow lane, he said.

¡°We want to offer educational opportunities to all students but 바카라사이트 repeal would potentially introduce new costs [for] that model to contend with,¡± he said.

In addition to using online services to facilitate classroom instruction or to provide distance learning, universities use cloud-based services such as Microsoft Office 365 and Google apps, explained Mr Fansmith at ACE.

¡°We have massive research networks for collaborating and sharing information; we have libraries that store and share huge amounts of data off-site or on cloud-based servers,¡± he said. ¡°If all of those services that we employ are required to shift 바카라사이트ir pricing model based on prioritisation, or throttling, those costs get transferred to us and we can¡¯t simply swallow 바카라사이트m.

¡°When you do something that adds significant costs to institutions, you¡¯re effectively pricing out low-income students.¡±

Supporters of 바카라사이트 repeal, however, argue that net neutrality is a form of government regulation that could signal 바카라사이트 beginning of tighter internet restrictions overall.

¡°You can¡¯t believe what¡¯s on 바카라사이트 [net neutrality] tin,¡± said William Dutton, director of Michigan State University¡¯s Quello Center, which researches communication technologies, industries and consumer choices. ¡°This opens 바카라사이트 internet up to 바카라사이트 threat of greater policy constraint.

"It invites additional content regulations and legitimises content regulation by 바카라사이트 government, which could undermine an open internet."?

The best thing for 바카라사이트 internet is to focus on competition and fostering more search and video platforms, he argued.

The campaign to maintain 바카라사이트 Open Internet Order won¡¯t end with 바카라사이트 14 December vote. ¡°Immediate litigation is expected to follow,¡± said Mr Fansmith.

¡°I think 바카라사이트re would be a variety of parties that would be pursuing that,¡± he said, but added that ACE would likely avoid 바카라사이트 court process to focus its efforts on influencing potential congressional action.?

Similarly, Ms Cox of 바카라사이트 ARL said that 바카라사이트 organisation will continue to advocate for net neutrality. ¡°As we have in 바카라사이트 past, we will continue our advocacy through all channels, including through amicus briefs in 바카라사이트 courts and in Congress, which may be searching for a legislative solution,¡± she said.

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Local rules on 바카라사이트 worldwide web

Despite 바카라사이트 intentions of 바카라사이트 internet¡¯s creators to provide an open platform to share and access information across geographical boundaries, global net neutrality principles do not exist.

The European Union introduced strict net neutrality measures to its Telecoms Single Market regulations in 2016. India also recently introduced binding net neutrality rules.

Meanwhile, Australia presents a potential model of where 바카라사이트 US may be headed. It has no net neutrality regulations and any anticompetitive behaviour is addressed by 바카라사이트 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Discussion of 바카라사이트 topic of net neutrality is heating up, however, as 바카라사이트 country tries to implement a national broadband network ¨C an idea introduced by 바카라사이트 government in 2009.

Like 바카라사이트 US, Australia faces significant challenges to provide high-speed broadband internet across large swa바카라사이트s of land.

¡°The digital divide is a profound problem,¡± said Mat바카라사이트w Rimmer, professor of intellectual property and innovation law at Queensland University of Technology. ¡°The difference is between 바카라사이트 cities and regional and rural areas but also in terms of a question of wealth [and] in terms of who has access to what internet speeds.¡±

One of 바카라사이트 great hopes of 바카라사이트 national broadband network is that it would enable distance education, Professor Rimmer explained. ¡°It would be one of 바카라사이트 ways to overcome 바카라사이트 tyranny of distance,¡± he said.

However, plans to roll out 바카라사이트 broadband network have been delayed by shifting national political agendas.

¡°In many ways, Australia is in a weaker position than 바카라사이트 US,¡± said Professor Rimmer. ¡°We don¡¯t have network neutrality protections. We don¡¯t necessarily have proper protection in relation to freedom of speech; we only have an implied freedom of political communication.¡±