Case Study : The Battle For The Net Neutrality

Background Information:

What type of internet user are we? A user that sends emails, documents and messages over the internet. Do we fully utilized the technologies that the internet provides? Staying for long hours in the internet for most of our daily life?

These are the questions that often pops up in our mind emphasizing that we are bandwidth hungry and technology savvy. Internet lines gets congested due to millions and millions of internet users were online at any given time. Do all of us has the equal chance of accessing the world-wide web? What about those people who were located beyond the reach of the internet signals. The consumption of bandwidth varied from one place to the other.

1. What is network neutrality? Why has the Internet operated under the net neutrality up to this point in time?

Net Neutrality refers to the idea of internet service provider should provide to users equal access to content, information and application regardless of the nature of the content and subject to the ‘common carriage’ laws by which telephone companies must treat phone calls and customers equally.

In fact, internet is neutral in nature because of it was built on phone lines and all internet traffic was treated equally on a first come, first serve basis by internet backbone owners or service providers which providing extra benefits to either party is not allowed.

1. Who’s in favour of net neutrality? Who’s opposed?

In this case study, those in favour of network neutrality is of cause the Christian Coalition, Movenon.Org and the American Library Association, Consumer Groups, Bloggers, small businesses and large internet companies like Google and Amazon. This include US Congress and internet protocol inventor, Vint Cerf, were among those who supports network in which different variable access to content of the internet would deter the real capability of internet to prosper and argues that the risk of censorship would increase when ISPs blocking or limiting access to contents while others concerned about the effect of slow transmission rate on their business where users can’t download or access faster.

Those who opposed this net neutrality include telecommunications and cable companies who usually charge customers differently based on different bandwidth requirements for content in the internet and claimed that customers were being charge low compared to the amount of phone lines used. By using metered pricing as being the fairest way to charge customers and finance the investment of network infrastructure at the same time. ISP also complained about the rise of piracy in copyrighted materials over the internet to oppose the network neutrality agenda. Comcast also reported that illegal file sharing of copyrighted materials consumed about 50 percent of its network neutrality. Limiting the speed of downloadable time is a way to minimize or discourage users for committing this internet wrongdoings. Furthermore, network neutrality was seen as the stumbling block for further innovation, capabilities and development of new technology.

1. What would be the impact on individual users, businesses, and government if Internet Providers switched to a tiered service model?

Champions of net neutrality argue that neutral Internet encourages everyone to innovate without permission from the phone and cable companies. A mor more level playing fields triggers new businesses. Unrestricted information flow become an essential factor to free markets as e-commerce and online society increasingly dominant. Hardcore users of internet bandwidth and occasional users will be willing to pay extra even though without being given better service.

Network operators believe certain regulations such as Bills tabled by the net neutrality supporters was said to only slowing down the competitiveness by limiting innovation and affect customers who were subjects to this discrimination network practices. Internet service in the U.S. had lagged behind from other competing nations in term of speed, cost and quality of service. By leveraging on heavy internet users bandwidth, telecommunications, cable companies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can withstand the test of time and remain competitive and increase profit.

1. Are you in favour of legislation enforcing network neutrality? Why or Why not?

Personally, it depends on individual consideration base on components and principles such price differentiation, how much more we can afford to pay for bigger and faster bandwidth and where to draw the line in term of pricing between heavy and occasional users.

Slow development in innovation caused by the tiered service model would certainly slows down innovation by charging more for heavy bandwidth usage compared to free bandwidth to spawn innovation. In term of speed, how much faster would network transmission be when it is under tiered service model. By imposing censorship, would telecommunications, cable companies and ISPs be willing to increase censorship of content transmitted over the network and above mentioned discrimination by network operators seen as the main reason to network neutrality downfall and triggers more measure and restrictions. Internet is neutral and free. Net Neutrality will remain as a balance where both users and providers interest remain equal.