My Thoughts on Net Neutrality

To begin with, Net Neutrality is defined as, "the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites." Essentially this means that ISP's (internet service providers) should treat all data equally, whether it be an email or streaming video, ISP's should not be allowed choose where data is sent more quickly, this could be through a paid deal with a certain company, or to throttle speeds, then asking you to pay more to unlock the services full capabilities again. For this reason, some have described net neutrality as the “first amendment of the internet”.

Netflix is just one of the companies for Net Neutrality

“Net neutrality is basically the principle that keeps the internet open. Without it, big cable companies will be able to slow down certain websites and pick winners and losers on the internet,” said Mark Stanley from Demand Progress, one of the activist groups organizing the day of action.

Controversy

With the introduction of Three's new "Go Binge" service and others like it has caused controversy because it encourages customers to choose certain sites and services over others. Net neutrality advocates, by comparison, believe all data should be treated equally on any given network. If certain apps are "free" to access, the fear is that others, even if they offer a superior experience, will be stamped out before they can bloom. Bigger, established companies effectively 'pay to win', pushing out any potential rival before it can pose a threat. That's the argument, anyway.

Campaigns

Multiple campaigns such as Fight for the Future, Free Press Action Fund and Demand Progress have teamed up to create the Battle for the Net campaign. They have signed up almost 200 participants in the day of action, and created explainer videos, banner advertisements, tools and suggested messaging for communicating with users en masse about why net neutrality matters.

You can help the cause by signing at: https://www.battleforthenet.com/