Net Neutrality

Once thought dead, net neutrality roars back to center stage

One of the more interesting debates in technology recently has been that of network neutrality, or net neutrality for short because its snappier. Net neutrality is a huge issue because nobody really knows about it but if nothing is done everybody will face Internet problems pretty quickly. What is net neutrality? I will tell you.

Net neutrality is basically the idea that everybody gets fair access and priority to the Internet, or basically what most users are used to (or think they have) now. Big telecommunications companies are trying to move against this and offer higher speeds and priority to higher paying customers. Smaller telecommunications (and people who know what they're talking about) are arguing against this, for a bill to establish network neutrality.

Giant companies like Comcast, who I've already blasted in an earlier entry, is front and center in this debate. Comcast has already begun to shape packets and give priorities to certain kinds of traffic. For example, business oriented activities such as e-mail or some sort of executive file-sharing protocols will achieve faster speeds than that funny video you're trying to watch on YouTube (on the other hand, Comcast is also blocking Lotus Notes so who knows what they're trying to do). Packet shaping is also a problem because application suites that accomplish this allow the ISPs to view exactly every piece of data that goes through each user's connection, which is a pretty scary breach of privacy on their part.

Comcast has vehemently denied all reports of all of their wrongdoings, but its one of the top Internet villains around. Other bad guys include the FTC and the Department of Justice who have already said that net neutrality isn't gonna happen (from them anyway). Meanwhile, the FCC is still looking into it, but Congress is where things are really going to happen. Hopefully the lobbyists for the people step up and these two Congresspeople who are trying to get this done, well, get it done.