(NETwork neutrality) A level playing field for Internet transport. It refers to the absence of restrictions or priorities placed on the type of content carried over the Internet by the carriers and ISPs that run the major backbones. It states that all traffic be treated equally; that packets are delivered on a first-come, first-served basis regardless from where they originated or to where they are destined.
Net neutrality became an issue as major search engines such as Google and Yahoo! increasingly generated massive amounts of traffic compared with other sites. It also became an issue because some carriers that offered subscription-based VoIP services were also transporting their competitors' VoIP traffic.
Very Controversial
The Internet has had net neutrality since its inception, which has leveled the playing field for all participants. This is a very contentious topic because major carriers have lobbied the FCC to eliminate network neutrality in order to charge large sites for their traffic.
Although it might seem reasonable to charge extra fees to sites with huge traffic, the implications down the road are more alarming. If net neutrality were abandoned entirely, at some point, owners of all Web sites might have to pay the carriers' fees to prevent their content from bogging down in a low-priority delivery queue.
Net neutrality became an issue as major search engines such as Google and Yahoo! increasingly generated massive amounts of traffic compared with other sites. It also became an issue because some carriers that offered subscription-based VoIP services were also transporting their competitors' VoIP traffic.
Very Controversial
The Internet has had net neutrality since its inception, which has leveled the playing field for all participants. This is a very contentious topic because major carriers have lobbied the FCC to eliminate network neutrality in order to charge large sites for their traffic.
Although it might seem reasonable to charge extra fees to sites with huge traffic, the implications down the road are more alarming. If net neutrality were abandoned entirely, at some point, owners of all Web sites might have to pay the carriers' fees to prevent their content from bogging down in a low-priority delivery queue.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Internet Governance Forum goes to Egypt and hits a few snags
- It seems that no matter where, when and why, somebody has to make sure a political statement is made. Now it seems that the United Nations is also getting into the Internet debate and dipping its toes into the Net Neutrality debate. by Doug Hanchard
- Blog posts 2009-11-17
- House bill calls for ISPs to block some fake financial sites
- Good grief!Now the BIG LETHARGIC Gov is going to tell people what sites they can go to and tell ISP's to block them???GOOD GRIEF! It is out of control, 2010 is coming and these socialist will be sent back home... AHHHH the sound of 1984 is very much alive..and well...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-05
- News to know: Ruiz, Moffat resign; Microsoft; Psystar; Smartphones
- Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage.: Sam Diaz: Ruiz resigns as GlobalFoundries chairman; no mention of insider trading scandal Moffat no longer with IBM as...
- Blog posts 2009-11-03
- Net Neutrality: You own the Internet - make sure it becomes Law
- how to get from there to herewhile net neutrality makes a lot of sense to most people, how can we make sure that it becomes law. Our open source government democracy is decidedly NOT neutral, and the same interests that would take away our rights on the internet, are the...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-02
- Net Neutrality: You own the Internet - make sure it becomes Law
- For the first time in the world, there's a service that has a unique platform that allows all free people to interact, demonstrate, express and bind together to resolve issues. The internet is the vehicle which will drive change, innovation and create an entirely new political landscape that does not...
- Blog posts 2009-11-02
- News to know: Apple tablet; Android; Social Search; Netflix on PS3; Verizon
- Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage.: Jason D. O'Grady: Times exec hints at Apple tablet Larry Dignan: Apple slate "impending," says NYT exec editor; Much...
- Blog posts 2009-10-27
- A Net Neutrality Solution: Opinions Wanted
- First thoughts"the incumbents fought it tooth and nail"Same thing happened in the last 4 industrial revolutions!I'm broadly in favour of your improvements ... with a few caveats ... and will look at the 2 papers you plugged, sorry referenced ;-)"Users should be concerned that the Internet services they pay for...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-26
- A Net Neutrality Solution: Opinions Wanted
- I’ve been thinking about Net Neutrality for some time and wanted to get your thoughts and feedback on a solution that seems, well, so simple and obvious that I can't believe nobody has proposed it. A bit of background before you dive-in. Before analyzing and tracking...
- Blog posts 2009-10-26
- News to know: iPhone; Win 7 upgrade answers; Psystar; SOA; Google
- Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage. Ed Bott: Finally, some answers to Windows 7 upgrade questions Dion Hinchcliffe: Are the iPhone and social networks making...
- Blog posts 2009-10-26
- Google's Schmidt: Washington politics "not very interesting"
- Google CEO Eric Schmidt, in Washington this week as a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, popped into The Washington Post to chat with reporters and editors about a number of topics, including an FCC vote on net neutrality. Google's name has...
- Blog posts 2009-10-23
- Bells give net neutrality the McCain two-step
- Net neutrality can only...be accomplished by a company divesting the provision of the infrastructure from the provision of the services that use the infrastructure. As long as the same company provides both services there will never be neutrality. These companies have to much at stake in delivering services that ride...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-23
- Bells give net neutrality the McCain two-step
- For over a century the Bells have been masters of the bureaucratic game. Their failure in the Bell break-up, which delivered huge profits to investors, only taught them to fight harder. So after putting themselves together like the broom in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," of course they're going...
- Blog posts 2009-10-23
- WSJ chief criticizes news aggregators - creators carry cost burden
- More important...than net neutrality? You are out of your mind. You probably think you are a journalist as well. What a joke. Do you even proof read your own dribble? It's obvious you don't. What kind of journalist would send out content with grammar and spelling errors? it has...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-23
- WSJ chief criticizes news aggregators - creators carry cost burden
- Hat tip to Danny Sullivan for pointing out the above panel at Web 2.0 Summit, which featured Robert Thomson, Wall Street Journal chief, and Marrissa Mayer head of search products at Google, plus Martin Nisenholtz, The New York Times Company, and Eric Hippeau from the Huffington Post, moderated by...
- Blog posts 2009-10-23
- Net neutrality: a faster Internet for all
- If I pay my ISP for fast speeds, I should get it.If I pay my ISP for fast speeds, I should get it.I do [b]not[/b] want my internet to slow down just because some person on the [b]other[/b] end didn't pay for priority traffic.Net Neutrality had to happen in the...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-23
- News to know: Windows 7, Net Neutrality, Nokia-Apple; Kindle
- Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage. Windows 7 Coverage Andrew Nusca: Liveblog: Microsoft CEO Ballmer kicks off Windows 7 availability Adrian Kingsley-Hughes:...
- Blog posts 2009-10-23
- Net neutrality: a faster Internet for all
- Net neutrality means a faster network for everyone - despite what the telcos say. Net neutrality makes ISPs focus on us, their customers, instead of chiseling money from Google and Microsoft. And that's a good thing for all of us. by Robin Harris
- Blog posts 2009-10-22
- Net Neutrality: Why the Internet will never be free. For anything. So get used to it
- The internet will be freeIf we stop allowing our lawmakers to lord over us like the new royality and start passing Amendments to the Constitutions of various states saying that AT ANY TIME..... a lawmaker can be recalled for any reason, with a 40% vote in favor of it.40%???Sorry, but...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-22
- FCC unanimously approves next steps toward Net Neutrality
- Gov't fix, oh joyUh yeah, the internet is undecidely broken. This has a strong possibility of leading to usage limits. Comcast already has walked that line because they are behind the curve on their backbone upgrades. Why would a company who is being paid not provide better...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-22
- FCC unanimously approves next steps toward Net Neutrality
- The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously today to move forward on a process - expected to take 120 days - that could lead to Net Neutrality regulations. The vote came after the two dissenters on the commission - Republicans Robert McDowell and Meredith Attwell Baker - went on the record...
- Blog posts 2009-10-22
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