The Fight for Free Speech: Will We Be the Greatest Generation?
I think a lot of people have different ideas of net-neutrality. What I, and most technical people want is neutrality for the content of each packet.
Take the postal service. If I pay my $0.42 for a stamp, it does not matter what I put into the envelope. It doesn’t matter if I send it, General Motors sends it, or the President sends it. The Post Office will make sure it gets to its destination along with everything else. Now, if I don’t care about priority handling I can go for the bulk rate. Or I can now pay extra for express handling.
The problem arising on the internet is that there are a very few companies who are deciding *what* content will be allowed. They have decided that if they can get away with it, they will charge some people more than others. You and I will not be allowed to send video content without artificial barriers placed before it.
This is what I mean by net-neutrality. It is entirely acceptable to charge me a metered rate so that if I use more, or want more speed, or want priority handling (video, voip) then I will expect to pay more. However, if I pay the fee I want the same service as the big boys.
Would you find it acceptable to pay more to send a letter depending on what your name is? Would it be acceptable to charge your neighbor across the street more for his electricity or phone service just because you can? This is why it must be neutral.
Neutral does not mean you can’t charge different rates for different types of service. It just means that you can’t extort or prevent people from using the internet if they pay the going rate.
