Net+Neutrality

media type="file" key="Net Neutrality.mp3" [|Net Neutrality.mp3] NET NEUTRALITY

Neutrality is a term that is used to describe a person, organization or country that does not take sides and treats everything equally. The Internet is said to be a neutral network because Internet service providers and broadband telecommunication carriers manage all Internet traffic on equal terms. Regardless of where their information is coming from, each packet goes from one computer to the other with the same level of priority. This is called Net neutrality. Until 2006, laws in the United States and Canada ensured that the net remained neutral.

In 2006, a controversy arose when the telecommunication industry spent several million dollars lobbying U.S. Congress to change the laws to reverse Net neutrality. If that happens, then telecommunication companies could rig the Internet so that owners of sites (e.g., ISPs and content providers) would be able to pay money for preferential treatment, which would include advantages such as having certain sites load faster. The telecommunication companies argue that they need revenue to make updates to Internet infrastructure, and that the way to earn this revenue is by charging ISPs and content providers different fees for services.

Some groups are fighting to keep Net neutrality going. They feel that the Internet was created to allow all providers equal opportunity to have their voices heard online. They also feel that no one should have preferential treatment. Should Net neutrality not be protected, some not-for-profit organizations, such as MoveOn.org and the National Religious Broadcasters, stand to lose out as they cannot afford to pay for preferential treatment. They also fear that the telecommunication companies would have access to the names and personal details of their subscribers, thus possibly compromising their privacy.

Questions

1. As a student how would the elimination of Net neutrality affect you?

2. Using sources available to you, research the issue of Net neutrality. Have the laws changed regarding net neutrality? If so, how?

3. Either electronically or in your notebook, create a two-column table. Label the first column Pros of net Neutrality and the second column Cons of Net Neutrality. From the information in this reading and from your research for question 2, complete the table.

4. Based on your response to question 3, what do you conclude about the issue of Net neutrality? Do you agree or disagree with it? Why?