The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web has introduced a means of communication with a range of opportunities to the world. However, this medium will, in due course, be subject to the control of some large corporations. The conundrum of freedom of expression and speech on the Internet is the central concern of the debated concept of net neutrality. Net neutrality is the idea of equal access to information for users and the concept related to ISPs and their control over access to content (Weitzner 78). Packets provide a visualized concept of ISP content control in the net neutrality debate. Tim-Berners Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, defines net neutrality: “If [person A] pays to connect to the net with a certain quality of service and [person B] pays to connect to the net with the same quality of service, or with a higher quality of service, then [people A and B] can communicate over the Internet with that quality of service” (Tim Berners-Lee). There are several key issues being debated and which will be clarified in this paper. The issue of net neutrality legislation plays an important role on questions of equality between websites, protection of competition, benefits for consumers and network owners (ISPs), whether regulation is a good idea and the legal arguments surrounding the concept. The relationships between these issues will clarify and distinguish the opposing sides of net neutrality. CONSUMERS The Internet was born thanks to the user. Without the user the World Wide Web does not exist. It is a set of links and words all created by a group of users, a forum or a community (Weinberger 96). The consumer was the final decision maker in the process... at the heart of the paper... Internet access in official regulation. In addition to ensuring that network operators cannot prevent users from accessing legal Internet content, applications and services of their choice or connecting non-malicious devices to the network, Genachowski wants to add two more rules. The first would prevent Internet access providers from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications, while allowing for reasonable management of the network. The second principle would ensure that Internet access providers are transparent about the network management practices they implement” (Reardon CNet). Supporters argue that this would only regulate service providers, not the Internet, while opponents argue that because the Internet has succeeded without government regulations and would only “limit innovative business and pricing models” (Singer 41).
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