A satirical video posted on Funny or Die Thursday commemorating the 25th birthday of the World Wide Web takes a hit at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its role in the debate over the open Internet. Particularly, the video spotlights the way that setting limits on net neutrality could transform the Internet as we know it.
In the video, two parents and their two wholesome children sit around the breakfast table discussing the future of the “grown-up” Internet.
“In 25 years, certain limitations on net neutrality will of course already be part of our daily lives,” predicts the mother. “The Internet will be faster and faster will fewer options.”
The parents explain that the more Internet an individual uses, the more he or she will have to pay. “It’s incredibly fair,” says the father. “We have premium television channels like HBO. It’s kind of unfair that our Internet providers can’t charge us for premium websites.”
The little girl even suggests that pornography can be wiped from the Internet with limitations on net neutrality, and her brother happily agrees.
“Soon we’ll be able to stop everyone from uploading altogether and the Internet can be a series of channels showing programming at specific times,” concludes the father.
Despite protests, the FCC released its proposed rules on net neutrality Thursday, which could allow broadband providers to charge companies providing content for faster, reliable delivery of information to their users. However, the rules would prevent Internet providers from blocking websites or slowing access to them.
“I will not allow the national asset of an open Internet to be compromised,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler assured consumers. “The prospect of a gatekeeper choosing winners and losers on the Internet is unacceptable.”
The FCC invites the public to share their opinions of the rules over the next four months, after which the agency hopes to settle on the details of the new open Internet protection.
The FCC Wishes the World Wide Web a Happy 25th Birthday from Funny Or Die
