Introduction
Net Neutrality is a concept defining the freedom of internet access with minimal or no restriction from internet service providers and regional authorities on the web contents. In the principle of Net neutrality, every entity is entitled access and interaction with other internet users at the same cost of access. In this respect, the cost of internet access is termed as the subscription level. Owing to tight competition in major markets, proponents of internet neutrality suggested for establishment of certain regulations to control access by broadband providers in other sites. Since such providers would use their modes of communication to deter the services of their main rivals, the subject of net neutrality generated major debates from many internet users. Net neutrality promotes invention and innovation. As this essay argues, several net users usually freedom of internet communication and in this essay supports the concepts of net neutrality.
Reasons in favor of internet neutrality
Competition and innovation
The current trend in technology, demands that professionals for internet services providers (ISPs) continue to buffer the free internet access offered at fixed rates. Advancement in technology, coupled with competition amongst broadband providers has resulted into many unethical practices in internet provisions. Towards this end, internet neutrality has controlled the emergence of system hackers who always try to block the web content of their competitors. Such users also introduce foreign information in target sites without the knowledge of the website owners thereby obliterating their original intentions of the site. In the simplest practice of unfair business, this can only represent the unethical model of allowing unhealthy competition in business. Hence, growing companies would relinquish their opportunity to trade online to major established online retail companies. This way, regulation on net neutrality would hamper innovation and development (Moreno-Riano and Margolis, p. 10).
Good internet protocol (IP) always proves suitable based on its reliability and efficiency independent of any regulatory authority. Thus, network neutrality provides fertile ground for nurturing inventions and innovations suitable for driving online business. On the hand, regulating net neutrality would allow commercial crime to thrive through systems such as money laundering without up-to-date programmes to track the capital offenders (Pavlik, p. 193).
Network neutrality has brought unprecedented freedom and convenience in conducting online business. Despite of the current competition in the market place, net neutrality has encountered the congestion in information dissemination that would otherwise require other monopolized media channels. This way, broadband providers continue to unleash better and well-adjusted automated systems for advanced search of required information. Contrary to the first amendment of the US constitution, regulation on network neutrality would infringe into various individual and institutional rights of American citizens. Besides, firms that invest in Broadband and cables would fail to reap the benefits accruing thereof as the internet monitors make preferential decisions on the nature of data traffic passing through the connections (Seery, p. 28). Therefore, net neutrality remains the vital factor in promoting diverse completion in the global market. In case there is some website that needs priority, they should consider large affront investment in telecommunication infrastructure provides the suitable avenue to its long-term profits (Stair, Reynolds and Reynolds, p. 275).
Preserving internet standard
Many service provider decline from accepting net neutrality regulation because they consider blocking certain web content or rating network as big threat to their businesses. For example, peer-to-peer communication in social networking sites generates a lot of revenue to internet service providers. Therefore, slow end-to-end communication in this process results from deliberate action by some internet providers to reap out of this problem. Net neutrality regulation primarily predisposes some internet users to discriminatory services based on the personal details requirements aimed at enhancing quality (United States and Goldfarb, p. 61).
Contrary to conventional internet standards and service quality, allowing intermediaries to manage the nature of data traffic through fiber optic cable would subject telecommunication and cable companies to many flaws. While the companies would concentrate on laying the infrastructure and maintaining its stability, regulatory authorities monitoring the bundles may encounter impurities such as worms and viruses capable of making the data erroneous. Regulating the internet neutrality principle also has a likelihood of interfering with the flexibility of the data traffic besides compressing certain pieces of information and delivering them in small bits (Gray, p. 293).
Several other critics of internet neutrality also concur with the view that end user segmentation of internet services is discriminatory to other potential participants. The methods used in billing and paying of the services often occur as disproportionate to bundles in some zones. Lately, cable technicians have learnt that telecommunications companies’ value added services implemented using the mobile phones cost internet users more money. On the contrary, such companies need to prioritize the brand-width of information flows in order to harmonize costs and segmented services. For instance, firms willing to pay cable companies for quick data traffic would get the first priority on introduction of rules governing net neutrality. Since this would also lead to the problem of degraded service on the poor, then regulating the internet would help sustain innovation associated with internet (Schewick, p. 220). End-to-end user efficiency
Based on the principle of equality on the use of internet, pioneers of the internet agree that net neutrality is critically important in ensuring that each person gets equal access to the internet services at the same rate. Rate does not only apply to money but it also refers to time and speed. In order to curtail the discrepancy, which may arise due to preferential treatment of data based on uniform bandwidth or bundle, net neutrality, would ensure uniformity in origin to destination information flow across the board. This way, net neutrality encourages both economic and social functions it aims to integrate in the virtual world (United States and Goldfarb, p. 63).
Essentially, people need to communicate and transact in trade. As the internet protocol came into play, it sought to ease the process involved in both spheres. Thus, all networks behind the firewall should transmit information with clarity that allows for traceability in both forward and backward linkages. Newly developed systems allows for rating of both sender and recipient’s modes of communication. This allows for active participation in both social network sites and business information in commercial sites (Stair, Reynolds and Reynolds, p. 173). Conclusion
As the forces of demand and supply determine the price of a commodity in a free and fair market completion, internet users should let innovation to rule the internet industry. This guarantees the users fare price through healthy competition powered by network neutrality unlike regulating the entire concept, only to end up with a maladjusted internet protocol. So far, network neutrality has promoted the advancement of many giant internet sites tailored for various activities. Google and facebook typify the level of inventions achievable by net neutrality. Therefore, network neutrality should continue undeterred or disturbed.
Works cited
- Gray, Jonathan. Battleground: the media, Volume 1. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.2008. Print.
- Moreno-Riano and Margolis. The prospects of internet democracy. Cornwall: TJ International, Ltd. 2009. Print.
- Pavlik, John. Media in the digital age. New York: Columbia University press. 2008. Print.
- Schewick, Barbara. Internet Architecture and Innovation. Cambridge: MIT Press. 2010. Print.
- Seery, Mark. Marketing broadband to the home. Lulu.com. 2006. Web.
- Stair, Reynolds and Reynolds. Fundemental of Information systems. Boston, MA:Cengage Learning 2008. Web
- Stair, Reynolds and Reynolds. Principles of Information systems. Boston, MA: Cengag Learning. 2008. Web
- United States and Goldfarb, Charles (ed.). Telecommunications Act: competition, innovation, and reform. www.novapublishers.com. NovinkaBooks. 2006. Web