From blogs to online telephone services, the Internet has thrived as a platform of innovation.
And much of that success is due to the “hands-off approach” of network neutrality. The principle advocates allowing consumers to reach the content they want without telecommunication and cable companies degrading service. The issue of network neutrality, however, has drawn rancor from those companies who provide the Internet’s pipeline infrastructure.
AT&T, Verizon and others contend if they spend billions of dollars to install the infrastructure, then bandwidth users such as Google and Microsoft should pay for the service.
Unfortunately, the costs could trickle down to the consumer. Network neutrality supporters fear the telecommunication and cable companies would try to institute a tiered-system of Internet access with special service to a few companies willing to pay fees to deliver content.
While the author recognizes telecommunication and cable companies need to charge fees for use of their pipeline, consumer choices must also be protected.
The author will aim to support network neutrality principles by looking at telecommunication deregulation, the shortcomings of the Telecommunication Act of 1996 and examples of discriminating practices by telecommunication and cable companies. Citing academic papers, online news articles and Web sites, this paper also addresses the movement of lawmakers to codify network neutrality principles.
In an effort to guarantee a free and competitive marketplace, the telecommunication and cable companies should charge customers based on bandwidth usage. If a user spends two hours downloading content using a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, then he or she would pay more than a person simply answering e-mail.
Telecommunication and cable companies will then continue to see a return on their investment while keeping the network neutrality principle in tact. This will allow for the Internet to remain “an unrestricted free marketplace of ideas.”*
Supporting Network Neutrality (Hartl_essay.pdf) by Boris Hartl
* Source: Ben Scott, the policy director for the national reform media group, Free Press. “Testimony Regarding Network Neutrality Before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.” May 25, 2006.
