The Underground Economy

The underground economy is made of people who do not work a regular paid job. They get paid under the table with no income reported and no taxes paid. Jobs in the underground economy are typically linked with illegal things such as drug dealing but also includes housekeepers and nannies.

The shadow economy is beneficial in the way that the money people make from their "secret" jobs is used for personal consumption which rises the economy. It also allows people that are having trouble getting a full or part time job in the "real" economy to earn money.

Although it can be beneficial, it can also be unfavorable. The more people are being paid under the table without taxes, the less money the government has to spend. Government programs depend on tax money. With less taxes being paid, the higher they will be so the government can do its job. In addition, people with jobs in the secret economy do not get Social Security or health benefits. There is also a higher risk of losing your job and not getting paid at all.

Net Neutrality

What is net neutrality? Net neutrality is "the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should give consumers access to all legal content and applications on an equal basis, without favoring some sources or blocking others" (1). This means that the Internet and what's in it is equally provided to everyone.

It is important that we as consumers have net neutrality because it means we have easy and equal access to the Internet. If we did not have net neutrality, to get better and faster Internet connection we would have to pay our Internet providers more.

Big companies such as Comcast would benefit a lot without net neutrality because Internet companies would have to pay them more money for their websites to run just as fast or faster than other websites (2). Without net neutralilty, small companies on the Internet would have a harder time to start up because they would have to compete for fast service against big companies (2).

The FCC can control the neutrality of the Internet because of the 1934 Communications Act. Under this act, the FCC is able to "prevent [ISPs] from manipulating how quickly or slowly sites are transmitted along their networks" (2). This means they control Internet providers and how service is delivered.

1- http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/24/net-neutrality-what-is-it-guide/23237737/ 

2- Net Neutrality: What it means for you