Burger King has made an advert poking fun at the decision to repeal net neutrality in the US.
The global chain released a prank video on Wednesday criticising the repeal of Obama-era regulations designed to ensure equal access to the internet – using the Whopper as a metaphor.
In the advert, Burger King surprised customers with a selection of different prices for the same Whopper, mimicking the repeal of net neutrality.
Burger King staff tell customers they can buy the Whopper for $4.99 but will have to wait much longer than those who pay $12.99 or $25.99 for a faster “MBPS” (making burgers per second speed) speed.
MBPs usually refers to megabytes per second, a reference to internet speeds.
The repeal of net neutrality rule could see an internet service provider charge customers more if they want to stream videos, a scenario Burger King wanted to satirise and explore.
The repeal is yet to officially happen, with industry bodies such as the Internet Association, representing tech giants Facebook and Google, reportedly planning to sign a lawsuit blocking the repeal in court.
Customers who choose to pay $25.99 for a whopper burger, usually costing $4.19, would receive their purchase in ‘hyperfast’ time.
One impatient man chooses to pay $25.99 for his whopper, to the surprise of a waiting customer.
"Are you kidding me? You paid $26 for a Whopper?” says the aghast woman.
“This effort aims to help people understand how the repeal of Net Neutrality will impact their lives”, said Burger King.
“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”.
