Network neutrality describes the current equal access by users to Internet bandwidth, regardless of the services they are using on the Internet. Network neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers must allow customers equal access to content and applications, regardless of the source or nature of the content. Presently, the Internet is indeed neutral: all Internet traffic is treated equally on a first-come, first-served basis by Internet backbone owners. The Internet is neutral because it was built on phone lines, which are subject to "common carriage" laws. These laws require phone companies to treat all calls and customers equally. For example, someone using the Internet to download large movie files pays the same rate as someone accessing their email. Now telecommunications and cable companies want to be able to charge differentiated prices based on the amount of bandwidth consumed by content being delivered over the Internet. Student opinions will vary; one might be: I support network neutrality because the risk of censorship increases when network operators can selectively block or slow access to certain content.
Save a GPA. Donate your notes with us.
