I find about half my business online. The beauty of the Internet and online business is how it levels the playing field like nothing else. My profile on digital marketplaces is featured prominently purely based on my success with clients. My skill in running ads online gets my little site found.
With net neutrality, my site can be accessed as easily as the site of a large agency. When large and small agencies build fee structures, we factor in our overhead. With low overhead, I can charge less than big agencies and still deliver quality work. Without net neutrality, we all would have to pay more to have our sites and profiles found online.
Fees would increase across the board. Clients would pay more for the same work. And small agencies like mine would no longer be an option since we cannot be profitable with such high overhead. Without competition from the small guys, the big guys could increase their fees even more.
So who would make money without net neutrality? The internet providers receiving fees to provide access to our websites. Competition would decrease, small businesses would have yet another hurdle to overcome, and the cost of marketing would go up for everyone.
My final argument is personal. The flexibility and opportunities that come with owning a digital business have been a boon for me and for my family. Women are becoming more entrepreneurial. According to Forbes, “Women own 36% of all businesses, according to the 2012 U.S. Census ‒ a jump of 30% over 2007.” Thanks to net neutrality, more women like me can compete with the big guys and win. I outsource work to partners in India, Germany, and Orlando, FL. Clients are happy. We are supporting our families and paying taxes. We are job creators.
Please support net neutrality. Everyone wins (except the massive ISP’s and their corporate lobbyists, but who’s counting?).
Want to help? Tell your representatives: http://act.freepress.net/sign/internet_nn_congress_approp…