This week the Federal Commissions Committee, or the FCC, took a vote to repeal Obama-era “net neutrality”, which is causing quite a panic across the country. However much of this panic is caused by the misunderstanding of what the term “net neutrality” means and what its repeal will spell out for American internet usage.

Net neutrality, which was imposed in 2015, is regulations imposed on Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, stating that they cannot slow down or restrict certain websites to favor others. It allows consumers the freedom to access content without limitations. Under the net neutrality rules it is regulated that there must be equal access to all websites for all people.

On Thursday, December 14 the FCC voted to repeal the former administrations regulations in a 3-2 vote. The reasoning for the repeal is that it will make the market for wireless internet much more competitive and allow for ISPs to offer different packages to essentially benefit you as the consumer.

However people across the country are protesting the repeal of net neutrality. Prior to the FCC vote, an overwhelming number of people from the left and right reached out to their representatives urging them to encourage the FCC to not repeal net neutrality rule. Unfortunately since the FCC is an independent regulatory commission, they do not necessarily have to do what the constituents want, rather they do what they feel is best for the country.

Overall though, net neutrality and its repeal will not have the effect that social media is leading people to believe it will have. It’s not going to start costing $1.99 per Google search and you are not going to have to start paying to subscribe to Twitter. Repealing net neutrality is simply going to make the market for Internet more competitive and give ISPs the freedom to speed and slow websites as they wish, nothing more, nothing less.