On Behalf of Net Neutrality

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History

Many technological advances have been seen in the last decades in base of internet. A new technology, Businesses, researches, discoveries, entertainment, a whole world of new opportunities, and knowledge is about to be luxury just for few and of course a sadly blocked reality for others. As all we now know, net neutrality is a set of rules created to assure the freedom of the internet connection for all. Its purpose is to avoid all kinds of discrimination that the internet service providers (ISPs) could have to certain users in other to favor others.

My position is on behalf of net neutrality. Sadly we still live in a society in where we need rules to keep everything under control that ensure harmony, and avoid the increase of corruption of advantageous people sneaking to others. The president Obama said in the transcript found in the White House website, “An open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life. By lowering the cost of launching a new idea, igniting new political movements, and bringing communities closer together, it has been one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known.” All of us can notice how beneficial is for us nowadays to have an internet that can be available and open to everybody and keep improving through generations.

In the other part of the debate we can find the ISPs present their opposition. In this case the Observer website presents the article Republican Opposition to Net Neutrality. The executive vice president of Comcast, David Cohen said. “The internet has not just appeared by accident or gift — it has been built by companies like ours investing and building networks and infrastructure…The policy the White House is encouraging would jeopardize this engine for job creation and investment as well as the innovation cycle that the Internet has generated.” If it is true that internet didn’t appeared as an accident or a miracle, it is also true that it does not belong to a private institution either. So the monopoly of it is something that a certain group of consumers or institutions should not have on their control. Additionally in the transcript the president refers to some rules he wants to preserve, and one of those is about avoid blocking access and I think it is reasonable for the opinion I mentioned few lines above. In the transcript he said, “No blocking. If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP should not be permitted to block it. That way, every player — not just those commercially affiliated with an ISP — gets a fair shot at your business.” After this argument and other presented by the president, the opposition just said, “The statement has no legislative or regulatory teeth, but the President clearly can influence the FCC, and its chair Tom Wheelers, on this issue.” This is more than an issue of influences. This is a situation that affects all of the new ideas to come. The protection of freedom should be the main matter for everybody, but once again, this seems to be another fight between Democrats and Republicans trying to gain power.

Bibliography

• Website Title: The White House
• Article Title: Net Neutrality: President Obama’s Plan for a Free and Op[…]
• Publisher: The White House
• Date Accessed: February 11, 2015
http://www.whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality

• Website Title: Observer
• Article Title: Republican Opposition to Net Neutrality
• Electronically Published: November 11, 2014
• Date Accessed: March 03, 2015
Republican Opposition to Net Neutrality