NEWS//
FCC UPHOLDS NET NEUTRALITY Investigating recent verdicts on net neutrality and following consequences
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KATHLEEN CUI
INDEPTH//
BY CLAIRE SHEIH
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n Feb. 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled to uphold net neutrality. Net neutrality is when all data is treated equally, regardless of who creates it. To understand the impact of the ruling, think of the internet as a highway with most fast lanes taken by sites favored by internet service providers (ISPs). Net neutrality excludes these fast lanes, meaning that certain content no longer receives preferential treatment and cable companies cannot charge sites for faster internet traffic. All of us, from students studyingwat home to small family businesses, will be granted equal access to the fastest parts of the internet. The FCC’s decision classifies broadband providers as “common carriers” under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. This puts the internet under the same category as other government controlled utilities, effectively allowing it to implement these new rules. “The internet is simply too important to allow broadband providers to be making the rules,” said Tom Wheeler, chairman of the FCC. Indeed, internet providers have been known to slow down the traffic of certain websites. In 2008, Comcast was sanctioned by the FCC for secretly slowing down internet sites that Comcast decided were threats. Last year during negotiations with Netflix, Verizon and Comcast deliberately slowed down Netflix’s streaming traffic. “The fact that Verizon and Comcast deliberately slowed down Netflix makes me feel like they’re abusing their power,” said sophomore Horace Chen. “They’re basically bullying and intimidating Netflix.” With the FCC’s new ruling, ISPs like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast, will no longer be allowed to slow internet traffic and block access to competitors. The new ruling benefits sites such as Netflix,
The impact of height on success BY JULIA PARK
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n the last century, no U.S. president has been shorter than the current average American male height of five feet, nine inches. According to a survey by the Weekly Financial Review, the average height of the top 50 company CEOs is slightly over 6 feet. Not only do the great majority of “successful” people seem to possess an overwhelmingly tall stature, but studies show that taller people are better compensated compared to their shorter colleagues. Above-average height is linked to larger paychecks, greater self-esteem and more leadership potential. In 2004, psychologists Timothy Judge of
the University of Florida and Daniel Cable of the University of North Carolina analyzed data from four longitudinal studies in America and Europe which followed more than 8,500 participants from childhood to adulthood, recording their careers, salaries and personalities. They found that with gender, weight, and age controlled, someone who is six feet tall earns on average $5,525 more than someone who is five feet, five inches tall. An explanation for the salary discrepancy is that being taller builds self-confidence as well as social esteem, which makes taller people appear more authoritative and dominant. “Being taller than average is generally,
in our culture, desirable because we tend to judge taller people unconsciously as looking more confident or capable or successful,” said school psychologist Brittany Stevens. Furthermore, a taller person must look down and a shorter person must look up in order to make proper eye contact, and that unequal gaze is connected to the association of greater height with greater power. “The process of literally ‘looking down on others’ may cause one to be more confident,” said Judge in the study. “Similarly, having others ‘look up to us’ may instill in tall people more self-confidence.” see HEIGHT page 9
Amazon and Facebook, but hurts cable companies such as Comcast and Verizon. Critics claim that net neutrality is a government overreach and violates the concept of free market. Because the FCC’s 317-page order has not been released to the public, they believe that the FCC’s lack of transparency means it has something to hide. Not surpisingly, more than 24 providers, including Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, are against net neutrality. “The government regulating the internet doesn’t sound too great,” said junior Aditi Lahiri. “It could potentially be a huge mess as the internet is so vast and will have to be regulated by a body of nearly 2,000 people.” Supporters of net neutrality, including content providers such as Amazon and Google, say that it embodies the basic principle on which the internet was built. It ensures the internet stays fast, fair and prevents the web from becoming a place for profit. “I personally think the ruling is good because net neutrality allows everyone who has access to the internet to use it equally,” said Chen. “There’s no reason for bigger companies to need priority.” The FCC’s decision has an overarching effect on everyone who uses the internet, Lynbrook students included. “This ruling affects me because I play games and use streaming websites and companies that aren’t as big,” said Chen. “If net neutrality wasn’t passed, it could easily mean that larger companies would receive priority over things I did use, and the things I did use would be slowed down considerably.” The upholding of net neutrality ensures that the internet is a level playing field for all, meaning small businesses and startups are able to compete with larger companies. With this ruling, internet users will not have to pay additional fees for faster internet access, ensuring internet users of a universal internet speed for all data. “I remember a few months ago when websites like Wikipedia and Tumblr displayed pages full of loading symbols to raise awareness for net neutrality,” said Lahiri. “I can’t imagine a future where all my webpages were actually that slow.” In the next few years, a slew of legal challenges over these new rules is expected as ISPs will fight to maintain their control over the internet.