THE BATTLE OVER NET NEUTRALITY

Q1. WHAT IS NETWORK NEUTRALITY? Network neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers must allow customers equally access to content and applications regardless of the source or nature of the content. In short, net neutrality is a network designed paradigm that argues for broadband network providers to be completely detached from what information is sent over their networks. Presently the internet is indeed neutral: all Internet traffic is treated equally on a first-come, first-serve basis by Internet backbone owners

Q1. WHY HAS THE INTERNET OPERATED UNDER NET NEUTRALITY UP TO THIS POINT IN TIME? The Internet is neutral because it was built on phone lines, which are subject to ‘common carriage’ laws. These laws require phone companies to treat all calls and customers equally. They cannot offer extra benefits to customers willing to pay higher premiums for faster or clearer calls, a model knows as tiered service. Prohibits Internet providers like the cable or cellular companies from filtering, slowing or otherwise limiting the data traffic that flows over their network for instance, by blocking services they don’t like, or buy charging exorbitant traffic fees to rival services. Such fees, would be in addition to the payments ISPs already received from end users via, say, your cable or DSL bill.

Q2. WHO’S IN FAVOUR OF NETWORK NEUTALITY? Those in favour of network neutrality include organizations like MoveOn.org, the Christian Coalition, the American Library Association, every major consumer groups, a host of bloggers and small businesses as well as streaming-video services like Netflix. Net neutrality advocates argue that the risk of censorship increases when network opertors can selectively block or slow access to certain content such as Netflix video streams or access to competing low-cost services such as Skype.

Q2. WHO’S OPPOSED? WHY? Internet service provider are the group who opposed network neutrality because issues of copyrighted material over internet. Comsat, the second large U.S. internet services provider reported that illegal file sharing of copyrighted material was consuming 50 percent of its network capacity. Network owners believe regulation to enforce net neutrality will impede U.S. competitiveness by stiffing innovation, discouraging capital expenditure for new networks, and curbing their networks ability to cope with the exploding demand for internet and wireless traffic.

Q3. WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT ON INDIVIDUAL USERS, BUSINESSES, AND GOVERNMENT IF INTERNET PROVIDERS SWITCHED TO TIERED SERVICE MODEL? Tiered service model allows users to select from a small set of tiers at progressively increasing price points to receive the product or products best suited to their needs. Wireless providers have already moved to develop tiered plans that charge heavy bandwidth users with larger services fees. Online content providers have struck exclusive deals with distributors that leave their competitors at a disadvantage. For example, Comsat struck a deal with Microsoft to provide streaming video via its Xfinity TV service through the Xbox 360.

Q3. CONT’S When Internet providers switched to tiered service model, that will be impact on individual user, business, and government. If the users demand for the Internet overwhelms network capacity, they must pay for service charge fees. It will prevents the individual user from developing idea and also prevent or reduce the small business from marketing their product extensively through online. Tiered service model also make difficult for government to share information with the people effectively and efficiency.

Q4. ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF LEGISLATION ENFORCING NETWORK NEUTRALITY Q4. ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF LEGISLATION ENFORCING NETWORK NEUTRALITY? WHY OR WHY NOT? We are not favor of legislation network neutrality because that will prevent globalization process especially in business environment. As we know, the globalization is very strong supported by Internet and if Internet is not neutral, it will be disturbed the process of globalization. The legislation will prevent a small business to promote their product abroad by cloud computing and also prevent the blogger to share ideas. The legislation also is not good for service providers such as Facebook to give a free service to the user.