Summersault Weblog

As the Internet continues to grow and change at a rapid pace, new and innovative website design possibilities become a reality everyday. For our company that means keeping up with the newest innovations in website design and programming, and for our customers it means a broader spectrum of opportunities to reach their target audience.

But more than that, this is a crucial time to understand and support Net Neutrality. Without the guiding principals of Net Neutrality to protect us and our customers from crippling restrictions imposed by large telecoms and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), today’s innovations in web technology may soon be out of reach for companies and individuals without industry connections or deep pockets.

What is Net Neutrality?
Net Neutrality is the principal that the Internet should be an open platform controlled by users. This principal has guided the Internet from its inception and allows large companies like Google and individual users to put their content on the Internet on a level playing field. It also allows you to access the Internet using hardware and software of your choosing.

If Net Neutrality has always been around why should I care now?
The telecoms and ISPs such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, are currently lobbying congress to give them the authority to act as Internet “gate-keepers” and reverse the neutral status of the Internet. They want to change the way the internet is run and put restrictions on how you access the internet, who can put things on the internet, and how quickly content is served.

This means instead of the Internet being a fair playing field, the telecoms will be able to reserve the “fast lane” for their own content and charge steep fees to others who want to put their content on the web. This will also enable the telecoms to censor the content their customers see, removing all negative press they receive or denying access to competitors’ websites.

What could happen if there is no Net Neutrality?

• Voice Over IP services, such as Vonage and Skype, would no longer be able to compete with landline phone services because telecoms could block or severely limit access to these services in favor of their own more expensive landline services.
• Small businesses would be charged steep fees on top of normal internet connection cost to ensure their content reaches their customers at the same speed as the telecoms and ISPs’ own content.
• Websites supporting a cause or idea that an ISP does not agree with could be blocked.
• ISPs could block or severely limit access to free or inexpensive media download services, such as iTunes or Amazon Music Store in favor of their own more expensive services.
• Websites, such as Ebay, Craig’s List, and Freecycle, could be blocked in favor of the telecoms’ own for-profit classified services.
• Companies, such as Google, iTunes, Ebay, and Facebook, could be charged a fee by ISPs to ensure their sites load as quickly as the ISPs own sites. Fees that will eventually be passed on the end user who may have to pay to use services that are currently free.

What can I do to ensure the future of Net Neutrality?

• Call or write your Congressperson, and let them know you support Net Neutrality.
• Show your support for Net Neutrality on your website or blog.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper supporting Net Neutrality.
• Tell your friends, family, and customers about the importance of Net Neutrality.
• Sign the Save the Internet Petition

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 1:41 pm and is filed under Sysadmin / Hosting, Website Design, Small Business, Internet / Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.