Net Neutrality – What Is It?

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.

So why should you be aware of this?  Large providers are already taking action in anticipation of added costs by increasing the costs that consumers are currently paying.  If this increase is done in a slow fashion, consumers will not be any wiser to the increases as everything we buy or subscribe to has normal rate increases.  One way providers are hiding the increase is by designing new plans where the consumer thinks they may be getting more, but the cost is also higher.  In some cases, old plans are not even available to new users leaving them no choice but to subscribe to one of the new plans or find a different carrier. AT&T published a press release in June 2010 to voice their actions on this matter. 

If Congress is already involved and the FCC is facing lawsuits because of their actions, what can we the people (as consumers) do to protect ourselves?  Let me know your opinions and where we can help.