Net neutrality is a new term for me. It really surprises me that I have not heard about it prior to this, as it has been an issue since 2005.
So what exactly is net neutrality? Net neutrality is the philosophy that network providers will not engage in discriminatory actions that would affect a user’s internet usage. Because this is an ongoing dilemma that affects a large amount of people (think about how many people user the internet on a daily basis), there is a lot of information that can be found on this topic. A good starting point is Net Neutrality 101.
One may ask how your internet usage can be affected by someone else besides for your contracted provider. It’s simple. A network provider can block the competition entirely from reaching the user. The provider can also degrade the service that you are receiving from another supplier in hopes that the user will get discouraged with the provider and therefore look for a new one. Another way would be by charging extra for services and information that is technically public access.