Last week, the FCC
did something that any indie author or artist of any sort would never
want to see it do: it repealed the net neutrality regulations. These
regulations protected fair access to online content that wouldn’t
be hindered by big companies paying for faster service. Indie authors
and their readers can’t afford this repeal since it will limit
access to certain websites on the internet. Doing so will limit
access to niche genres of fiction.
In general, the
absence of net neutrality will cause internet users to have to pay
extra for faster access to websites. It will also cause many website
owners to have to pay extra to make their content accessible. This
puts many indie authors and their readers at a disadvantage because
many indie authors don’t have the funds to pay for the faster
internet service when promoting their work and many of their readers
are in a similar financial situation.
This class
preference of internet access can limit the choices for consumers who
have specific interests that are lesser known to the majority. These
special interests include niche genres of fiction, also known as
sub-genres. For example, in science fiction and fantasy there are
very specific sub-genres. Some of these are steampunk, atompunk,
zombie horror, vampire horror, urban fantasy, and many types of
ethnic speculative fiction. While steampunk has become
more or less mainstream in the last few years and so may not have an
online promotion problem, atompunk and ecopunk are both very obscure
and so may have a problem. And even though ethnic sci fi and fantasy,
particularly by authors of color, has been more accepted it is still
not supported enough by the big literary companies. Big publishers
and book retailers who have the money to pay for faster internet
service only promote what sells the most rather than what niche
audiences are seeking. So if internet servers give these companies
preference then indie and self-publishing authors will be hindered in
promoting their work online. If that happens then it means less niche
genres for even online stores such as Amazon.
I’ll admit, I’m
not an expert on something as complex as the net neutrality issue so
I cannot say a whole lot about how it works. However, Cory Doctorow
has a great article out that simplifies the issue of net neutrality
in general while giving more details on it. His article at
Craphound.com is actually a summarised version of a larger one which he has the
link to there. If you aren’t that familiar with net neutrality then
I suggest you read the shorter version at Craphound then go to the
larger one so you’ll get a better grip on the issue. Contrary to
what he says in the shorter version, the issue can get very complex
but he clarifies it really good.
So, what can we do
now that FCC has made one of the biggest nightmares of 21st
century writers and artists a reality? Many net neutrality advocate
groups have been saying they will take legal action against the FCC’s
decision since it is something that goes against a constitutional
right, the right to distribute and access the information one wants
regardless of class, a right that ties in with the First Amendment.
So watch for these groups’ reactions to the issue in the upcoming
weeks and support them in their mission to restore net neutrality.
All may seem lost
for us writers and artists of the indie and freelance realms, but
this is a time of year for celebrating hope rather than despair. The
hope is that we have a gift of endless creativity, and that’s a
creativity we can use to support the advocacy of net neutrality.
Until next time . .
.
 |
| Credit: Pixabay.com |
Comments
Post a Comment