5 Truths About Net Neutrality

There are a number of factors that we as consumers should be aware of in regards to Net Neutrality. Here is a partial list of how the outcome of this decision will affect us all:

• Dictates the speed in which we can download items
• Web sites might be excluded from view
• Determines what services we can or cannot use
• Interferes with supply & demand & normal business practices
• Not allowing us (consumers) to take advantage of all the technology available to us.

These are just a few, there are more, but these are the ones that hit us most directly. The ISP (Internet Service Providers) are arguing that they have to have stricter regulations to protect their networks. Other large businesses are saying that this will hamper progress and will not allow technology to be delivered to the consumers as promised. So what is the break-down of these issues?

The first one on my list is, do you want to be limited to how much you can download or at what speeds. This is already happening today. A good example is Comcast, they tell you that you have unlimited downloads at top speeds. Reality is that they throttle back the network and the true download speed that you are able to use. So to make this very relatable to most people, and to not drown people in technical jargon, I will relate this to buying a new car, and the car is your computer/Internet access. So your at the dealership and they tell you that the car can go from 0-60 in 5 seconds, etc. Well the big ISP's do not want you to drive at those speeds across their network, so they force governance onto your throttle. Now your car can go only 30 miles an hour. This is not fair, and on top of that they tell you how much you can download a month. The big letters said "unlimited" in the small print is says "up to our discretion" So now the BIG ISP company says that you can only take home 20 bags of groceries a month not 30. What? I thought I could do "unlimited" Good thing these regulations are not forced on the cars we drive.

Second item; web sites that you can visit. We all expect this when at work. I know that I will not be able to get to Facebook and MySpace from work, but from home? From home I should be able to go where I want. That is my decision, etc. Nope, the Big ISP again wants to regulate where you go. Oh, we don't allow you to shop at that store. Or you cannot use that park. Again I thought the internet was someplace that I could choose on my own where to go and when.

The Third Item on my list is closely related to the second. The ISP's want to choose for you what services you can use on the internet. So for example you have purchased a new Iphone, but now you are limited to what you can install or use on your new phone. Can you imagine that working with your car? Oh I guess it is okay if I want to use the car to go to the movies, but I cannot use the car to go on vacation. Well the ISP's are looking for ways to cut overall bandwidth usage, and gaming in one industry that uses a lot of internet bandwidth.

Fourth, the BIG ISP's want to interfere with supply and demand of a normal market. If they keep imposing such regulations this hurts the entire computer industry. How you ask? By limiting what technologies can be used and where and how, they are putting a cap on what you will expect from your computer, phone, pager, blackberry, etc. So in reality you are not able to use the devices to their fullest potential. By limiting bandwidth (speed in which you can drive) and with them all doing so together the ISP's are in turn controlling the market. The market needs to be controlled by supply and demand, aka the individual consumers. But this is not taking place. Think of it all this way, we see every day the price of gasoline going up or down, and we know that it is no coincidence that the fuel station across the street raises or lowers his price accordingly. The thought of oil costing more per barrel causes the price to go up, even though that oil is 3 months from becoming gasoline in your car. This is called perception of a need. In turn we all know the gas companies are controlling the price, proof is in their profits. The same is true with the ISP's

The final item that I am going to write about today is how this is harmful to the overall industry. Again, you go to buy a car, but find that once you bought the car you are limited to how fast you can drive, how much you can carry total, where you can drive to and how much the gasoline costs. This is all called service and price fixing. If the ISP's were to treat the car industry in the same way that they want to treat you in regards to the internet, then why would you want to buy the latest car with all the features? There would not be a need to build super fast networks, cause you could not use them anyhow.

That is how it is when it comes to technology. This type of behavior stifles technology and the uses that it serves to all of us. So companies like Microsoft and Cisco and online retailers, etc have banded together to have their voice on capital hill because what the ISP's want is to control your entire life. Tell you were to go and how fast. The other companies like Cisco want you to be able to get there at what ever speed your computer will let you. If you have an older PC with dial up, then that is ok. You can still get to your information. However if you have the latest PC with a Gigabit card that acts like a Ferrari on the Autobahn, then you should be able to take full usage of the 12 cylinders and the ability to go 200+ miles per hour. Your ISP has no right to stifle the services that have been paid for by the consumers.