Several tech giants are in favor of net neutrality regulation, and the same goes for many of the internet's pioneers, such as Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. But this is an issue that extends beyond the tech community. Even Burger King—yes, the fast food joint—is miffed at the FCC voting to remove net neutrality rules, so it decided to do something about it.
To bring attention to the issue, Burger King released a nearly 3-minute video that attempts to explain what exactly net neutrality is, and how people could be affected by the FCC's recent vote. Burger King isn't an internet service provider, of course, so it applied the same principles to fast food.
"The repeal of net neutrality is a hot topic in America, but it can be very difficult to understand. That’s why the Burger King brand created Whopper Neutrality, a social experiment that explains the effects of the repeal of net neutrality by putting it in terms anyone can understand: A Whopper sandwich," Burger King explains. "This effort aims to help people understand how the repeal of Net Neutrality will impact their lives," the fast food joint added.
In the video, a cashier explains to a customer that Burger King decided it could sell more and make more money selling chicken sandwiches and chicken fries, so it's slowing access to the Whopper. Of course, customers can pay a higher price for a Whopper, if they want to receive their burger quicker.
A glance at the menu shows that a "Hyperfast MBPS Whopper" costs $25.99, versus $4.99 for a "Slow MBPS" Whopper. There's also a middle tier, a "Fast MBPS Whopper" priced at $12.99. In this case, MBPS stands for Making Burgers Per Second.
At one point in the video, the cashier holds a Whopper in front of a frustrated customer while looking at his watch, explaining that he's not allowed to serve it for another 42 seconds. That is utterly ridiculous and silly. It's also the point. Burger King's spoof, while over the top, highlights why net neutrality protections were put in place.
"The recent repeal of net Neutrality means that internet providers can throttle bandwidth, offer paid fast lanes, block and prioritize content as they wish. The Burger King brand reenacted what this repeal could mean at the counter with people buying Whopper sandwiches," the company explained.
Check it out:
