Deep in the golden corn fields of Iowa, technology is transforming life on the farm. For decades, the production of corn has been led by family-based businesses who operate their farms with a time-tested mix of traditional agriculture tools. But now many of them have added something new to their arsenal: a mobile app called FarmLogs.
What Small Businesses Stand to Lose in a Net Neutrality Rollback
Since its inception, the growth of the internet has been guided by a foundational principle: your broadband provider should not get to pick winners and losers in terms of how quickly or easily you can access things online. And over the years, the FCC has refined and adjusted its approach to an open internet, including implementing basic net neutrality rules in 2015. Soon, FCC leadership will vote on whether to eliminate those rules. For businesses — especially small businesses — rolling back net neutrality could have big consequences. For the first time, broadband providers will have the technical capability, the business incentive, and legal authority to discriminate in the provision of internet access. Small businesses and entrepreneurs will have to bear the costs of pay-to-play internet service, which could make it harder to achieve scale without providing a cut of their revenue to their broadband provider. Those that don’t pay will find themselves at a commercial disadvantage.