One nation under God

Liberty and Justice for All

2006-06-26

Net Neutrality - Good or Bad?

Everyone (myself included) seems to be struggling over the Net Neutrality debate. Exactly what is Net Neutrality and what does it mean?

It seems clear that if you're one of the nation's biggest telecommunications firms - Verizon, AT&T or Bell South - you would likely be overly enthusiastic for charging for preferential access since you'd be benefiting from it. Or shall I say "profiting" from it...

The big telecoms and some cable firms, are the strongest opponents of the Congressional effort to establish a "net neutrality" law, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act (S. 2917), which forbids front-of-the-line access for a fee. Their theme is that government regulation would stifle innovation and hamper the speed and betterment of the Internet; we are starting to demand a lot from the Internet, and they claim that they'll need to invest in expansion and someone must pay for the huge improvements necessary to deliver innovative services into our offices and homes.

But what about us - the people who rely on the Internet for business, news, education, entertainment and other services?

This video by proponents of the Net Neutrality bill attempts to explain why discrimination on the Internet is a problem and will continue to be as long as net neutrality rules are not enforced.

On the face of it, both sides of the issue seem to make sense to me. I understand that expansion is necessary and there are costs involved for any business who wishes to branch out. Furthermore, I'm not keen on more government regulation and interference in business, most especially more policing of the Internet.

Having paid a premium for better Internet access, I don't want my broadband provider cutting deals that could put my favorite sites at the tail end of the pipeline. And web-based companies shouldn't be forced to pay more just to continue delivering what they already deliver.

Maybe it's my suspicious nature, the long-time monopoly enjoyed by Ma Bell, and/or the lobbying of special-interest groups that lead me to believe there's is a bit more to big-business opposition of this bill than "the betterment of the Internet." It's definitely not reassuring to see where AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre has been spending his own money this campaign and election cycle.

And considering their track record, I'm just not sure that we can safely conclude that in government acting to "protect" us, it is for the betterment of We the People, or the Internet as a whole.

Alas, my struggle continues.

Gina Weiss