So what is Net Neutrality?
Well in laymen terms it is the principle that internet service providers should provide access to all content regardless of the source without blocking or favoring of particular websites. The bottom line is that its our right to communicate freely online. It prohibits the slowing of certain sites and speeding up of other (favorable) providers.
Net Neutrality evens out the playing field - meaning that small businesses, start ups, and entrepreneurs are treated equally by providers. Meaning that a bigger business like Target can't pay more to speed up their site while deliberately slowing down their competitors. But it also ensures that you can access all content on the web without restriction.
But what if there wasn't any net neutrality? Well there are a few possibilities that people have posed:
- Providers could charge you on a "package" style basis similar to what you pay for TV. If you happen to go outside of your package you would be charged more OR you wouldn't be able to access certain sites outside of your subscription.
- ISPs would be able to restrict what users can see which would remove the idea that the internet is an open forum
- ISPs could slow up some sites and slow down others. Whose to say that companies with deep pockets or political candidates wouldn't pay to receive such benefits?
Ultimately, it might also mean that ISPs would have an easier time shutting down or limiting access to peer-peer sites as they could totally restrict those sites or slow them down to the point they're useless.
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