...Over the last decade, net neutrality has increasingly made its way into public discourse: politicians on Capitol Hill have battled over it, corporations have worked to curb it and public interest advocates have fought to preserve it. In September, the fight to keep the Internet free and open found its way to the DC’s Circuit Court of Appeals, where Verizon is attempting to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s current net neutrality regulations. Verizon vs. FCC , which could be decided as soon as this month, is the latest and arguably most important battle to protect the Internet from censorship and discrimination. But what is net neutrality? And what could this case mean for the future of the Internet? We’ve put together this explainer to catch you up. What is net neutrality? Network neutrality, or net neutrality, is a term first coined by technology policy scholar Tim Wu to describe the preservation of online innovation by prohibiting companies from discriminating against some users and content, or prioritizing some content over others. It guarantees a level playing field in which Internet users do not have to pay Internet service providers more for better access to online content, and content generators do not have to pay additional fees to ensure users can access their websites or apps. By the way, what is an Internet service provider? An Internet service provider, or ISP, is a company or organization that sells you access to the Internet....
Words: 2228 - Pages: 9
...Net Neutrality Currently there is a battle taking place over who will control the internet and how it will be shaped for the future. There are three main players in this battle. On one side you have ISP’s (internet service providers) such as Comcast or Verizon. On the other you have content providers such as Youtube,Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, etc and the consumers of this content. They are fighting over whether or not to keep net neutrality in place or to abolish it. Net neutrality is defined by merriam webster as the idea, principle, or requirement that Internet service providers should or must treat all Internet data as the same regardless of its kind, source, or destination. This means that the Internet is treated like a utility much like...
Words: 350 - Pages: 2
...Net Neutrality is the idea that internet service should treat all internet data at the same nevertheless the situation. Without net neutrality in rules, most internet service providers can prevent users from visiting any websites. Moreover, provide slower speeds for services, or even redirect users from one website to a different website. Therefore, my opinion on Net Neutrality is that is an agreed policy to have. Because one, Net Neutrality protects the users, formerly, it also creates a free and open internet, and lastly, it’s our internet we are the one whom paying to use the internet with free access to any website that our own selves decide on using. One way Net Neutrality protects it users by allowing for a liberated internet, and independently...
Words: 373 - Pages: 2
...Running Head: Net Neutrality | Net Neutrality | | SS31508/3/2015 | | | | Introduction Is net neutrality really what we want? That is a major question that is being asked across the country. Some say it is much needed, and there are others who say that it could be detrimental to quite a few people, and could have disastrous results. However, in order to know whether net neutrality is a good thing or a bad thing for the country we must first define what it is and how it is being used or implemented. What is Net Nuetrality? Net neutrality is the concept that everybody should have the same access as everyone else. There are a few things that are incorporated into this concept. No blocking will be allowed with net neutrality. This means that “If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP (internet service provider) should not be permitted to block it. That way, every player — not just those commercially affiliated with an ISP — gets a fair shot at your business”. Throttling will also not be allowed. ISPs will not be able to slow down some content, and speed up others, usually based on the type of service or the ISPs preference. There will also be no paid prioritization, meaning that no service will be slowed down or not prioritized because they do not pay a set fee. Positives Many people feel strongly to have net neutrality in place. President Barack Obama says “I am a strong supporter of net neutrality … What you’ve...
Words: 1215 - Pages: 5
...everything from the internet. They essentially are like a highway to your computer. But what if this highway had a toll booth with three options; an extremely expensive ipass allowing rich websites to pass easily to your desktop, a normal priced toll with no ipass slowing down poorer sites, and the toll could turn away any website they like. Internet service providers are trying to push for this kind of internet, a money based internet where they don’t have to show any competitors websites at all. This doesn't sound like a good thing for the internet we know and love. In order to protect the fundamental principle that the internet was based on, and small web-based companies, net neutrality Must be protected and preserved. To understand why Net Neutrality must be preserved first you have to understand it, the economics of it, the arguments against the system, and the effect its change would have on small web-based companies. Net Neutrality can be defined very simply, that all websites are treated equally and distributed to the consumer or business equally. According to Tim wu, a professor at Columbia law School, he says on his personal website article Network Neutrality FAQ “The idea is that a maximally useful public information network aspires to treat all content, sites, and platforms equally.” What he is saying here is that basic concept of Net Neutrality is that no matter what provider, or platform (computer, tablet, or phone e.t.c) all content must be treated with...
Words: 2518 - Pages: 11
...Abstract: Net neutrality is a sensitive cyber issue which expresses the right to Internet users to have net services without any discrimination on the basis of source, destination, or ownership of any kind of Internet traffic. This idea has laid the foundation for vigorous and high noted debate over public policy and private ownership across the many parts of the world over governmental regulation of the Internet or Internet access. The concept of Net Neutrality is new among Indian netizens (a term frequently used for internet citizens/users) which has become a matter of great concern among them and so has attracted a large media attention in a very short while. Nobody pay for electricity on the basis of which brand of appliances one uses,...
Words: 4915 - Pages: 20
...Net Neutrality In today’s era of free flow easy-access information and instant entertainment gratification, Net Neutrality is what evens the playing field between large corporations and start-ups; and allows us to consume any part of the internet equally, without discrimination, and at relatively constant speeds. Net Neutrality, as described by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), is the idea that all data sent over The Internet is treated the same; without favoring one party’s data over another one for having some sort of “fast lane” plan with their Internet service provider to expedite their traffic. Many people argue that Net Neutrality is essential to keeping and maintaining the open nature of the internet we have today, which provides...
Words: 998 - Pages: 4
...Browse Essays/Technology Net Neutrality This essay Net Neutrality is available for you on Essays24.com! Search Term Papers, College Essay Examples and Free Essays on Essays24.com - full papers database. Autor: anton • November 11, 2010 • 680 Words (3 Pages) • 326 Views Page 1 of 3 As someone who has had some sort of web presence for over ten years , I am completely and unequivocally in favor of net neutrality. Google defines net neutrality as "the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. " What net neutrality means to me, is that the content I have to share (however mundane it may be) has an equal opportunity of reaching any Internet user as any other content on any other web site. There are some interesting videos on You Tube discussing this topic most notably Robin Miller's video which talks about how net neutrality benefits individuals like you and me. However, the threat to net neutrality impacts everyone--small businesses, large businesses, and individuals . If we lose the battle to maintain net neutrality it could stifle competition amongst businesses online with the only companies remaining being the ones who can afford to pay premiums to broadband service providers for prioritization. Technologies like packet shaping (not necessarily a bad technology depending on what it is used for) are paving the way for such discrimination. Small businesses will find it more difficult to compete...
Words: 2945 - Pages: 12
...Net Neutrality Net neutrality is the law requiring internet service providers to be fair in their services to all websites. They are not allowed to throttle or limit any one website (“Net Neutrality: What you need to know now”). Net neutrality is necessary for the growth of this country's businesses, freedom of the Internet, and for fair political representation. Net neutrality is necessary for small businesses to stay competitive and to grow. Large corporations could possibly pay a internet service provider to censor or throttle speeds to a competitors website (Pogue). This is potentially detrimental to smaller businesses whose income comes primarily form online sales (Green). Said by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, “And just who will be impacted...
Words: 435 - Pages: 2
...One of the most polarizing debates of 2017 was Net Neutrality, more specifically, the repealing of net neutrality. The term “net neutrality” may not have been around since the start of the internet and telephone service providers preceding them but the concept has always been there. The basic premise behind net neutrality is that it is a means to ensure that the internet is for the common good of the people ensuring freedom to browse the web however the consumer pleases. The general consensus for the majority of United States citizens is that net neutrality benefits them. It is believed that without net neutrality, that big ISPs will now be free to please stockholders by driving up profits through being able to charge the customer for the specific...
Words: 1226 - Pages: 5
...Case Study 5: Net Neutrality Q2. Do some Internet research to identify the current status of Net Neutrality legislation being considered by Congress. Briefly summarize the content of the legislation. Net Neutrality in the United States has been an increasingly heated issue since the Internet blossomed. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has power to regulate "interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories" (FCC, n.d.). It would, therefore, seem a natural fit to include the Internet as another means of regulated communication. Currently, FCC regulations shape Net Neutrality more than laws. However, the FCC has recently been deemed by the court to lack the authority to enforce Net Neutrality. It's Open Internet Order, a set of policies prohibiting the blocking or charging of services by ISPs, was largely struck down in early 2014 in the ruling of Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission (Weil, 2014). The reasoning of the court was that the FCC cannot regulate the broadband providers because they are defined as data services, not telecommunication services. Since that ruling, the FCC has been considering policies involving tiered Internet access, but has yet to act. Since the court struck down FCC rule of network neutrality, there have been several attempts to enact laws regarding Net Neutrality. These include: • S. 1981, The Open Internet Preservation...
Words: 1237 - Pages: 5
...Net Neutrality What is Net Neutrality? The Internet has become a utility in our everyday lives. With the technology advent in the global markets, the internet has become a part of our day to day lives. With this new advent, there arise issues such as equality and freedom of usage. Recent usage of the word “net neutrality” means a lot to most of the internet users. Net neutrality or the open internet is defined as unlimited or equal access to all the websites on the internet without any limitations. However, we can see that some of the bigger players in the industry are blocking or limiting the speed of access to certain sites or apps. The issue of net neutrality is not a newer issue wherein everyone is hearing the words for the first time....
Words: 1579 - Pages: 7
...Johnny Everly Ms. Phillips Composition II 03/14/2011 The Battle for Neutrality The internet today is a global system of interconnected networks that serves billions of people worldwide. The internet is one of the most popular means for communication and information in the twenty-first century all over the world. Whether the internet is accessed from an office location, a home residence, a school, or even a mobile phone there is a connection being made with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). An Internet Service Provider maintains the infrastructure that allows different devices to be connected to networks that make the internet. As of today all information or “packets” are treated equally; and consumers pay for the connectivity of the interne. Some consumers pay for a faster connection rate, but do not get faster delivery for a specific type of content just faster for all types of information. This is why the internet today is vastly growing as one of the most popular innovations on the planet, all made possible by Net Neutrality. The argument that is going on states; that service providers can charge websites a fee for faster data transmission then others. Net neutrality states consumers should have access to lawful internet content; run applications and services of their choice; use equipment of their choice without interference from the provider. In the argument on net neutrality it is stated that people should have access to lawful internet at any time. As it...
Words: 829 - Pages: 4
...term 'net neutrality' was coined by Tim Wu, a professor at the Columbia Law School, and first used in his paper 'Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination' in 2003. Net neutrality, also referred to as 'Internet neutrality' or 'network neutrality', is a regulatory concept which eliminates any type of discrimination in transmission and access of content on the Internet. It is based on the principle that websites which provide content and users who access this content are equal, and nobody should be given preferential treatment at the cost of others. The advocates of net neutrality believe that the Internet should remain an open marketplace, for which it is important that the Internet service providers stay neutral. Net neutrality -- based on the open marketplace principle -- already exists, and that's why everybody gets equal access to the Internet. In its current form, however, it is nothing more than a set of professional ethics - with no concrete legislation, and therefore no compulsion of implementation. It may not seem a problem today, but what if someone decides to do away with the ethical part tomorrow. Say, for instance, what if the broadband carriers get to decide what you get to access on the Internet? What if your service provider decides that you will be charged more if you want access to Facebook and YouTube? It would definitely be unfair, and that's where a proper net neutrality legislation would come to your rescue. The proponents of net neutrality argue...
Words: 828 - Pages: 4
...Topic: Discuss the concept of Net Neutrality, its role in the market, and provide your opinion on the subject Discussion Questions: 1. What is Net Neutrality? 2. What role does Net Neutrality play in the current business market? 3. What is your opinion on the subject? Please cite all sources The current structure of the internet can be described as "open" because it allows both consumers and businesses to communicate; as well as create, share, and access content without restriction or boundaries. The concept behind the The "Open Internet" structure is Net Neutrality, defined by the Oxford Dictionaries as "the principle that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites." Currently, net neutrality plays a substantial role in the competitive landscape of our current business markets. The current "open" structure of the internet allows for better communication, creativity, innovation, and access to markets as well as products for both organizations and consumers . Net neutrality has somewhat leveled the "playing field", and made it possible for smaller organizations to compete in the same markets as established organizations that have access to larger amounts of capital. Recently, President Obama released a statement calling net neutrality "essential to the American economy" due its ability to "lower the cost of launching a new idea, ignite...
Words: 1776 - Pages: 8
