NET NEUTRALITY
As of June 11, 2009

Network Neutrality
The principle that the network is free of restrictions on content,
sites, or platforms, on the equipment that may be attached, and
on the modes of communication allowed, as well as one where
communication is not unreasonably degraded by other
communication streams. (Wikipedia)

Something Simpler?
Network Neutrality is the principle that all Internet traffic should
be treated equally.

Early Net Neutrality Concerns

What it looks like today
Stronger legislation supporting Net Neutrality
2007 Comcast blocking or throttling specific uses
2008 Time Warner Cable“Consumption Based Billing”

Arguments Against
Innovation: more money, more investment
Bandwidth availability
Leveling the playing field
“There’s going to have to be some mechanism for these [Internet
upstarts] who use these pipes to pay for the portion they’re
using.”
“The Internet can’t be free in that sense, because we and the
cable companies have made an investment.”

Opponents
Large hardware companies
Cable and telecommunication industry
Cisco, 3M
Robert Pepper, Bob Kahn, Gerald Faulhaber

Arguments For
Innovation
Preserving Internet standards
Creates Artificial Scarcity
Free and open communication fosters democracy
Congressman Dorgon told FTC Chairwoman he feared new
services as groundbreaking as Google could not get started in a
system with price discrimination.

Proponents
Consumer Advocates
Online companies
Technology companies
Google, Yahoo!, Vonage, Ebay, Amazon, Microsoft
Vinton Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee, Tim Wu, and Lawrence Lessig