Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality: The Future of the Internet?

Throughout history, each generation has faced a unique problem regarding its technology and its constant struggle with man. In the 21st century the prevalence and availability of technology is on a much greater scale, yet we are still faced with the same types of problems that plagued past generations. Even though these problems have become more and more complex as technology advances the same issues of how technology should be regulated, how technology should be implemented and who has access to this technology have remained constant issues. The issue of network neutrality or more commonly called net neutrality is often regarded as the primer issue in today's telecom and communications world yet it is ignored, underestimated and pushed to the backburner of many mainstream media outlets. Net neutrality is very critical to the future of the internet, the media and by society as a whole.

Your probably thinking this can't be an important topic if I've never heard of it before? I will first attempt to explain what net neutrality is. Net neutrality is defined by Michael Baumann in his article entitled Net Neutrality: The Internet's world war as "a principle that says those who operate networks which provide an overall benefit to the public good and rely on public property should not use their ownership to confer discriminatory treatment"(1). What this means is that the telecoms, cable companies and broadband providers provide a service that serves the public good (internet) and the service that they provide relies on public property thus it is necessary that the internet be kept a neutral with every site, application, program etc receiving equal access in regards to speed, reliability and overall quality of service (Qos). Aaron Weiss the author of the article Net Neutrality? There's nothing neutral about it gives a good example of how the internet is currently structured using the analogy of a highway "Suppose you built a private toll highway and it is the only route from point A to B available for most drivers. It is your right to set a toll rate for access to the road it is even your right to charge different rates for different lanes. For example, you could charge a premium to drive in the high-speed lane, which is wider better maintained and posts higher speed limits. This, one might say is how the US broadband network is currently structured" (Weiss 2). What this means is that the internet is the only way for data/information to go from one point giving the facilitator the internet service provider (ISP) the right to charge certain rates for certain speeds of internet. Under these current conditions neutrality is maintained and one website is not deferred based on alignment with the ISP. Weiss then gives a counter analogy using the highway again to explain what would happen if the internet became non neutral "Now suppose Lexus signs a deal with the highway owner. In exchange for a fee from Lexus, you allow only Lexus cars in the fastest lane. Neither Hyundai's nor BMW's can access the fastest lane at any price. You are now discriminating among your customers, because they do not all have equal access to the service at an open rate" (Weiss 2). This means is that the ISP's would be signing with various content providers in exchange for money they would essentially build/distribute the fastest of speeds reliability and quality of service to whoever could pay the most money. Under this system it would effectively push smaller websites, blogs, and businesses to an inferior state thus undermining the fabric upon which the internet was founded free speech and equal access. The internet is one of the few places left in which the average entrepreneur in their garage can compete almost head to head with a Fortune 500 company this free and open system promotes quality of content not quality of service.

The stakes are very high in this ongoing debate because the internet is very far reaching and has many facets and many topics ranging from political, social, economical, entertainment etc. With the onset of the internet being used as a major tool in every aspect of life every chance of a hypothetical advantage would be capitalized turning the internet from a tool to express your ideas, sell your product etc into a auction block with the companies and corporations with the most money get preferential status boosting them to the top. Imagine if this system