This week President Obama took a stand on net neutrality, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to classify the internet a public utility. Since this is a big topic that will affect the tech industry in a big way, we wanted to express our support for net neutrality. Why? We think it’s important to keep the playing field level for everyone. Not only is this important for the growth of startups, it’s important to well-established cloud services like ours. We want to continue offering the best experience for our users, with the fastest backups and restores possible.
If the FCC does away with net neutrality, internet service providers will be able to charge services such as ours differently depending on where data is coming from, or where it’s going, and slow down those who refuse or are unable to pay. That gives preferential treatment to those who can afford the “fast lane fees,” and slows down the rest. We think that could stifle the growth of potentially phenomenal startups, and disrupt the services that well-established cloud services such as IDrive provide. There will be less competition out there, and that means less innovation.
A free and open internet is great for both startups and established businesses, which is great for the tech industry. Net neutrality gives us a wider, more fertile seedbed for startups to grow, and helps services like IDrive continue to grow based on their merit, not how much they pay ISPs. That means more startups can keep bringing better and better products and services into the world.
An open and free internet gives innovation the room it needs to flourish. An internet run by ISP gatekeepers will simply make that growth more difficult. The free flow of ideas is what made the internet what it is today — a place where those with the biggest ideas, and not the biggest pocketbooks, come out on top. We’d like to see the FCC keep it that way.