A free-flowing Internet. This is what net neutrality is all about. Net neutrality is a principle by which the Internet has guided itself since its early days. It promotes an open Internet, where users are in total control of what websites they access, what programs they run and what services they use. Net neutrality is healthy for a fair competitive market because it gives every single company the chance to grow and innovate on an equal playing field. (Google Help Center)
Nevertheless, network neutrality is at stake. Giant companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast want to regulate people’s access to the Internet by blocking websites and imposing fees on smaller companies and individual websites, who will have trouble meeting the fees. As a result, many websites will lose traffic, thus falling in the slow lane. Meanwhile, the media giants will continue to grow, hence creating a monopoly, drastically reducing consumer choice and hindering the development of many businesses. Basically, since these companies are the ones that usually provide the Internet service, they will be the ones who decide which websites will load quickly, which will load slowly and which won’t load at all… Of course, they will make their websites and services a lot more accessible than the others, thus increasing traffic and profit for their own interests. How would you react if you notice that you are unable to open your favorite website because your Internet provider has censored it? (Open Internet Coalition)
The year 2005 was a critical year for net neutrality. The FCC adopted the “Policy Statement”, which tries to protect net neutrality and ensure every user’s access to an equal Internet. This tries to prevent big companies from assuming a gatekeeper position and discriminating against other businesses. (The full text is available here).
Furthermore, on Feb. 12, 2008, the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act 2008” (HR 5353) was introduced. This bill inserts net neutrality into the Communications Act. Still, cable companies are trying arduously to counteract this new bill. The following quote demonstrates their determination to do so:
“Now what they would like to do is use my pipes free, but I ain’t going to let them do that because we have spent this capital and we have to have a return on it. So there’s going to have to be some mechanism for these people who use these pipes to pay for the portion they’re using. Why should they be allowed to use my pipes?”
- Ed Whitacre of AT&T
Despite bills and laws, the media giants strongly believe they should limit Internet access and limit people’s experience online to their own services while downgrading competition. There are numerous examples of violations of net neutrality. For example, according to SaveTheInternet.com, “in 2006, Time Warner’s AOL blocked all emails that mentioned www.dearaol.com – an advocacy campaign opposing the company’s pay-to-send e-mail scheme,” and “In September 2007, Verizon was caught banning pro-choice text messages. After a New York Times expose, the phone company reversed its policy, claiming it was a glitch.”
This ongoing strife between the cable companies and the people is another example of whether or not the Internet should be regulated, and for whose interest. To what extent should the Internet be controlled?
If you’re interested in supporting a free Internet, take action now by signing the Save the Internet petition to Congress. In the wise words of Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web:
“The neutral communications medium is essential to our society. It is the basis of a fair competitive market economy. It is the basis of democracy, by which a community should decide what to do. It is the basis of science, by which humankind should decide what is true. Let us protect the neutrality of the net.”
