In or Out; not in Between

Net Neutrality : The Internet is quickly becoming a battleground between public and private interests. What are the most important features of this conflict?

Net Neutrality is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a term that identifies that users are allowed to send and receive information equally, allowing them to control the content that they view on the Internet and control over their use of the internet.

So we need to take a brief look at how we connect to the internet. We need to have a modem of some kind and an ISP or Internet Service Provider, such as Bell or Rogers. After we have all of that setup, connecting to the internet is just a couple of clicks away. Alright, now you’re free to read what you want and download anything you please, the Internet sounds like a beautiful place right about now. A couple of weeks later, you get a letter that basically reads,

“You’re using up more bandwidth than you were allotted, we are going to bill you extra.

:)

Sincerely,

Money Grubbing Dictators”

What happened to freedom of what I have access to on the Internet and my choices over what I download? Suddenly, the rules change and after they’ve roped you in with these great ideas, they trap you in their web and the only way out is death! Not literally, but it’s HUGE contrast of ideas, why are they able to get away with putting filters and caps on the bandwidth that we use up? Today, that kind of restriction is unrealistic; simply outrageous! That would be like someone creating a company that charges people for the amount of oxygen that they use, giving them a limited amount before you start being billed extra for every unit of oxygen you use past your allotted amount. These ISPs can allocate different connection speeds for different uses. Those who only check their email and read text documents on the internet will typically have faster connection speeds than the file sharing gurus that are constantly uploading and downloading files over the Internet. Those people will find themselves paying more for something that should be free; and businesses haven’t even been brought into the picture yet.

When you really get down to it, a network of data that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, for free, is a lot to ask for; and I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that an organization realized that a lot is being given away, and that there is profit to be made out of it.

I already have to deal with the rules of what is appropriate to say under ‘Freedom of Speech’. Being told that my photos are wrong when art forms are used to express yourself… these kinds of contradictions are what really annoy me because there isn’t much I can do about it. The same is true for ISPs and Net Neutrality. I am really sitting on the fence with this concept, parts of me want that freedom of what I can do on the Internet, but at the same time, without some order and law, there isn’t really any balance. Just like the aformentioned scenarios, without the rules or guidelines, everything become one giant mess. Information that was not meant for public eyes falls into the wrong hands, and before you know it, enemy countries discover weakness in other countries. Soon to follow, World War IV, V, VI and VII.

If maintaining net neutrality means a further collapse of content available to the masses, at the cost of witholding a sense of order and law, then I would much rather surf the internet a little bit slower, and download my music a little bit slower.