Net Neutrality

The constant din of proponents speaking out for Net Neutrality is getting louder and louder. In essence net neutrality wants to ensure that individuals have the ability to 1) obtain access to lawful information of their choice, 2) run the applications of their choice, and 3) connect the legal devices of their choice to the network. One of the consequences is that broadband providers (telephone companies and cable companies) would not be allowed to block access to specific legal sites that they choose. This however is not the main conflict.

The main conflict is a bit more subtle. It involves providers giving better, faster access to specific sites which have formed partnerships with the providers. Why do the telecoms wish to do make better access available only to certain sites and not others? Because as high bandwidth technology such as video streams become more prevalent online, broadband providers need to meet these demands and build more infrastructure to meet future demands. The high demands on bandwidth give the broadband providers an opportunity to cut deals with specific sites to give customers better access to those specific sites. This could mean in the future that if you get internet from provider X that you will in turn have good access to video streams from website A, but slower access to website B, C, D and all of the new innovative websites E, F, and G. Instead of all websites whether old, new, rich or poor that can be accessed equally by consumers--the situation now--discrimination could occur.

The best argument against net neutrality is that broadband providers will not have as much market incentives to upgrade the current connection speeds. Consumer costs would be the only source in which companies can recoup their infrastructure developments. Opponents of net neutrality believe that there is enough broadband competition making it impossible for providers to discriminate against websites.

There is not currently enough broadband providers for ample competition in cities let alone in rural areas. The landscape of the internet might be changing unless the Senate passes net neutrality legislation. New innovative, garage companies might not become the next Google or YouTube, because established companies will be able to pay the toll for the faster lanes of the internet leaving the new companies behind.

The House has already denied net neutrality and it is up for debate in the Senate this week.

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• Op-ed in WaPo
• Economist article
• Google's support
• NPR: On Point