ShoutingInDigital

Net Neutrality: Will the Web last forever?

Posted by James | Filed under tech

The internet has brought a new era of freedom to the world, or at least to those nations who have unrestricted access (China, we’re looking at you). It has been a great leveller, giving power to the people and allowing the smallest “mom and pop” business to get a slice of the global commerce pie.

But will this freedom last forever? Today we take it for granted that we can access any website, anytime, anywhere. But there are fears that if some of America’s largest telecommunications companies get their way – the internet landscape could be changed forever. Will we look back at the late 90s and early 00s and reminisce about a golden internet era, when all websites were equal?

You see, companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast want to become the internet gatekeepers, by dictating which web sites will load quickly, which will load slowly and which won’t load at all. Their plan is to charge website owners to guarantee speedy delivery of their content. This means we’d go from a web where quality content is rewarded, to a web completely controlled by money. Large companies will be able to buy themselves onto our screens; those who can’t afford the superhighway tolls will become invisible.

Net Neutrality is being championed by SaveTheInternet.com and their cause has been taken up by thousands of people. However, not everyone agrees that Net Neutrality is necessarily a good thing, arguing that the new model might “allow people the option of subscribing to cheaper internet with more limited access”.

Tags: ethics, industry