Atlanta Tech Startups Contemplate Their Future After Net Neutrality Ends
The Federal Communications Commission’s vote to de-regulate the internet has some Atlanta startups worried about their future.
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Net neutrality is coming to an end and some start-ups in Atlanta are asking “what now?”
The Federal Communications Commission voted to de-regulate the internet Thursday.
Scott Jones works with Tapp Solutions, a start-up in located in Atlanta’s Tech Village that works with insurance companies to mobilize information.
“It makes it harder for new businesses and new concepts to emerge,” he said. “I’m afraid that the internet is going to change a lot less in the next 10 years than it has in the last 10 years.”
Jones said he’s also concerned that the repeal of net neutrality is just the first in a wave of changes that could alter the tech start up landscape.
He said he wonders if his company will still have the same access to capital and opportunity as before.
Greg Werner is with 3Blades, a 2-year-old startup based in Atlanta’s Tech Village that works in data science.
“It’s just something that kind of makes me nervous,” he said. “The big boys are going to be able to pick and choose who they can throttle and who they can’t.”
Werner said almost all his company’s business is done online. And a loss of bandwidth speed could result in losing customers.
There’s no timeline yet for the repeal to take effect. But Werner says he may start looking at teaming up with other start-ups to increase their online profiles.
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