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Net Neutrality is something that you may not hear every day or know anything about, but you should know how and why it affects every one of us today.
Net Neutrality, in a nut shell, is the free flow of information on the internet. It’s advocates argue that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must be forced to provide users with access to all of the Internet without a tiered price structure that would favor only the biggest, wealthiest websites.
U.S. lawmakers will formally propose a new set of net neutrality regulations during the third week in October at a meeting that will include FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Advance word holds that the five-member panel will vote 3-2 in favor of new Internet regulations that would ensure the free flow of information online.
In addition, Chairman Genachowski said that the new rules would stop online operators from discriminating against any competing Internet applications. That means that companies like AT&T would no longer be able to prevent users from using competing voice services, such as those offered by Skype, Google or eBay.
Internet super powers such as AT&T and Verizon have protested strongly against Net Neautrality. They believe that the competitive nature online protects consumers enough, and that an internet free-for-all would create a nightmare of network issues. Of course, leaving Google out of this mix would be rude to say the least.
This meeting over Net Neutrality rules hits dead center in a standing feud between Google and AT&T. AT&T accused Google of hypocrisy due to the blocking of certain phone calls made through its Google Voice mobile application, and AT&T has been the subject of widespread criticism alongside its partner, Apple, because of Apple’s ban on the Google Voice app from Apple’s App Store. These types of information control and censorship are exactly what U.S. Lawmakers are meeting to discuss.
