CANOGA PARK, Calif. – Adult industry trade group Free Speech Coalition has issued a call for the industry to take a stand against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s apparent intention to dismantle net neutrality.
“Net neutrality” is a term for Obama-era regulations guaranteeing all internet traffic is treated equally. The FCC is expected to vote to ditch those regulations, contained in the Open Internet Order of 2015, on Dec. 14. If that happens, internet service providers will be reclassified as public utilities under the control of the Federal Trade Commission and no longer will be prohibited from blocking, slowing or otherwise discriminating against websites and online services. Prior to the Open Internet Order, ISPs floated the suggestion they might charge consumers more for access to certain kinds of content as a means of clearing up some of the congestion on the information superhighway.
The FSC is legitimately concerned a repeal of net neutrality regulations could harm the online component of the adult entertainment industry.
“We see this — coupled with anti-porn resolutions at the state level and SESTA’s attack on protections mandated by the Communications Decency Act — as the free speech battle of the 21st Century,” a statement from the group noted.
SESTA, or the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, if passed, would limit the safe harbor provisions in the Communications Decency Act of 1996, allowing states to prosecute and victims to sue social media networks and others that fail to keep sex-trafficking off their platforms.
The FSC’s primary concern about net neutrality is the potential for censorship should the regulations fall.
“As the trade organization for the adult industry, we know the dangers of corporate and government censorship first-hand,” the statement said. “Our industry knows what happens when corporations are allowed to prioritize content, exclude it from those networks, or punish those that don’t comply… In the past six months alone, we’ve seen funding platform Patreon block adult and sexual-health-related products, and YouTube de-monetize LGBTQ content.”
Such incidents “hurt our businesses, hurt our ability to compete, hurt innovation, and hurt the ability of adult consumers to access and enjoy content that is meaningful to them,” the group’s statement said.
According to the FSC,
If the FCC dismantles net neutrality protections … we could see ISPs:
- Slowing or throttling loading and video speeds on adult content.
- Effectively banning or blocking access to adult content.
- Charging consumers additional fees to access adult content.
- Charging adult businesses additional fees in order to be accessible to consumers.
“We ask that you call your representatives and ask them to fight the repeal of [net neutrality], and encourage your visitors, members and fans to do the same,” the organization said in its statement. “We should all be fearful of a world where ISPs determine what sites, content or viewpoints you can access.”
