"Net neutrality essential to our democracy" By Katrina vanden Heuvel

Net neutrality essential to our democracy

By Katrina vanden Heuvel at the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-net-neutrality-essential-to-our-democracy/2014/12/02/ab85a54e-799e-11e4-84d4-7c896b90abdc_story.html?tid=rssfeed

"SNIP........................


In May, HBO comedian John Oliver opened his segment on net neutrality by saying, “The cable companies have figured out the great truth of America: If you want to do something evil, put it inside something boring.” He then delivered an incisive 13-minute monologue that was anything but boring, drawing more than 7 million views on YouTube. Indeed, as Oliver demonstrated so effectively, while net neutrality may seem like a dull subject, protecting it is essential to not only the future of the Internet, but also the future of our democracy.

Net neutrality is, simply put, the fundamental principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. There are very few level playing fields in American life, but in a nation plagued by inequality, the Internet has remained open, free and fair — a powerful equalizing force that has allowed good ideas to flourish whether they came from a corporate board room or a college dorm room. This equality of opportunity is at the core of net neutrality. And it is under relentless attack by major telecommunications companies seeking yet another advantage to tighten their grip on the market.

This year, for example, Verizon challenged the regulations governing net neutrality in court — and won. In response, the FCC proposed an approach that would allow Internet service providers such as Comcast to charge Web sites a fee to deliver their content at higher speeds. The new rules would essentially create a two-tiered Internet — a “fast lane” for the rich, and a slow lane for everyone else.

The importance of preserving net neutrality should be obvious. A tiered Internet will be great for the profits of telecommunications companies, but terrible for entrepreneurs, stifling the kind of innovation that can build massive followings before ever leaving the garage. Not only will big corporations gain an advantage, but also a small handful of them will have the ability to actively interfere with their competition: An Internet provider that offers its own phone service could block access to Skype, for example, or a cable company could disrupt Netflix’s streaming service. Worse yet, sanctioning the creation of “fast lanes” could lead to online discrimination, with the providers choking off controversial views to protect their financial or political interests.




.......................SNIP"