I was motivated to write this article after receiving an email from eBay to it’s customers asking them to support Network Neutrality. I have been following this for a while and it is a subject that everyone should know about and understand.

I’m sure many folks that received the eBay message may have thought that it is just some more political propaganda and not take much interest in it. But in reality, it is something that affects all of us who use the internet on a daily basis and is being viciously debated in legislative circles. There are some very heavy hitters lobbying our legislators on this topic and because of its rather abstract nature, we all could seriously loose out if we don’t get up to speed and voice our concerns.

Network Neutrality is a set of principles that the internet has operated under since its inception. The idea is that any internet traffic transferred across an “internet” connection provider’s network is given the same priority as any other internet traffic (regardless of where it comes from).This principle is what allows “Joe’s Recipe Website” and “Yahoo.com” to pop up in your browser at relatively the same speed.

There are companies that provide the bulk of our internet connections (like AT&T, Comcast and Time-Warner) who would like to be able to charge content, service, and software providers a fee to get an accelerated or preferred feed to it’s internet connection subscribers while leaving others (who don’t or can’t pay) with a limited or blocked feed.

As a consumer, this means that the speed you get your content will be determined by how much your content provider pays the various internet connection providers (like Comcast and AT&T). It would effectively build a significant barrier to developing online services for small startup companies, non-profit organizations, private publishers, or others that will be based on financial ability rather than creative and original ideas.

Don’t misunderstand this; we are not talking about preventing spam blocking, parental controls, hacker filters, or allowing illegal activity. We are also not talking about preventing a company from charging for its service, bandwidth, or infrastructure. However, we are talking about censorship of internet content and services to end users based on the financial ability of the content or service provider to pay the various connection providers.

The principle of Network Neutrality allows the small guy with their own websites, personal blogs, internet software product, small business, small online publication, personal server, and more to be accessed as easily as the big guys. It allows those who develop new internet technology and software on a shoestring budget to provide those services and products to the public as easily as anyone else. It allows the average person to be innovative, develop new technologies, and cost-effectively build a business around their efforts that can be accessed (without limitation) by anyone with an internet connection.

I urge anyone who uses the internet and relies on its dynamic and open nature to get informed on this issue by visiting any of the following links:

Save the Internet
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
A grass roots organization designed to preserve Network Neutrality

Latest News @ It’s Our Net
http://www.itsournet.org/News.php
This page is a complete list of articles published in major publication as well as current activity reguarding Network Neutrality.

Net Neutrality Blog @ It’s Our Net
http://www.itsournet.org/Blog.php
This blog is very informative and is good for keeping up to date on activisim activities reguarding Network Neutality

Wikipedia Aritcle on Network Neutrality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality
This is a very comprehensive aritcle on Network Neutrality.

We Are The Web – Video
http://wearetheweb.org
This is more for entertainment purposes but still a good site. They created a site to inform about Net Neutrality and made their own crazy music video to promote awareness on the issue. When you get to the site, click on the link to the video on the left.

And of cource, do a Google search on “Network Neutrality” .
There are plenty of websites and online articles regarding this topic. I have found savetheinternet.com to be one of the best. It provides a good starting point that is quite helpful and informative.

There are currently a couple hotly debated bills in the US Senate that relate to Network Neutrality. They are:

Internet Freedom Preservation Act (bill number: S 2917).
This bill should be supported!
This bill is an amendment to the Communications Act and is a short, reasonable, and straight forward bill (as bills go). Its purpose is the ensure network neutrality. It will insure that we will continue to have the same access to information that many of us rely on and have grown so accustom to.

Senator Stevens’ telecommunications bill (bill number: S 2686)
This bill should not be supported without revision.
Unless real Net Neutrality language is added, it could open up the flood gates for many Broadband Service Providers to discriminate against content and create a tiered Internet. It is best to ask your legislators to vote “NO” on this unless Solid Network Neutrality language is added.

You can read both these bills on THOMAS at the Library of Congress (http://thomas.loc.gov/). When you get there, enter a search for the bill number.

It’s time to get informed, get involved, write your legislators on this issue, and express your support of continued Network Neutrality.