Most people nowadays defend other parts of their life to internet. Most of these people make a living out of the internet, or use it for their business transaction. While others tend to find their social life in the new trends that social media sites offers.
So whenever we surf the internet like do some business transaction or connect to people whether it be friends, colleagues or relatives, we always have expectations. We expect, at the very least and most common, to have freedom to connect to the internet and surf for sites that we want to go, legally. We expect to have total control over whatever we do. We expect our internet providers or government to give us that freedom, privately and without interference. These expectations when using the internet is what we call the Net Neutrality.
What is a NET NEUTRALITY?
Net Neutrality is a rule in the internet that means to apply “common carriage” for the internet users to have freedom and openness. It holds the internet providers to discriminate other website whether it is existing, new or are about to come, against their information by stopping, slowing or tampering their packets of data. These packets of data should be transferred through the cables and switches of the internet service providers while being treated the same regardless of the application itself, the number of audience, its content or platform.
This means ISP or Internet Service Provider will not detect or slow down or control over any application that you are using. ISP will not be allowed to discriminate or favor any companies and slow down the other in competition.
Some examples of Net Neutrality Breaches are:
- Throttling of BitTorrent traffic
- Offering free data, but only for a particular company (like Facebook or Spotify)
- Disabling of Apple Facetime
- Blocking of free internet calling services
This Net Neutrality rule does not apply to the legitimate network management in which purpose is to ease congestion or blocking spam.
In 2005, the FCC or the Federal Communications Commission, the chairman then is Michael Powell, laid down four principles for internet use as follows:
- Freedom to access all legal content
- Freedom to use any kind of online application
- Freedom to attach personal devices to the computer for downloading and saving content
- Freedom to obtain any service plan
Why it’s so important?
It will not be internet if there is no Net Neutrality. ISP and other cable companies will only disclosed the internet to the chosen websites, content or application. This will mean other communications company will be able to decide and take control over who is heard and who’s not. They can be able to block sites or applications that competes the product they favor. They will be able to block contents that they don’t like.
They will only offer fast lane to those sites of their choice. It also means you will be having limited searching using only the search engine that they will provide. Internet sharing will be prohibited according to what ISP wants. You will not have a choice of what you really want.
Net Neutrality allows the websites and other social media sites to find their audience and become giant websites. It also protects the internet service user from providers raising the cost of the internet service. Without this rule, nobody will be able to create another website to start because ISP will favor those established company and ask for higher payment which starting sites can’t afford.
This is the fight that many have already taken a stand to defend the people’s rights to connect and communicate.
