Net Neutrality 2006

There is a battle being fought in the U.S. Congress over a telecom bill that affects every American who uses the internet. The two sides in Congress are split along party lines over the issue of net neutrality.

The Republicans believe that telecom companies have the right to charge what the market will bear for internet access since they own the lines that carry internet service. They argue that rate increases are needed so the telecoms can upgrade this service and bring high-speed fiber optic cable to all homes and businesses. To raise the additional money, the telecom corporations have laid out plans to degrade internet service to sites that don’t pay a toll for upgraded service; like setting up stop lights and letting some cars pass while your car waits until the traffic clears. 

The Democrats believe the Republican-sponsored bill gives telecoms the power to decide who and what gets access to the internet. They believe this means the internet will be transformed into a narrow offering of sites for news and shopping. The Democrats support net neutrality as a way to counterbalance the telecom toll-road and ensure that every tiny blog and emerging entrepreneur has equal access to people. The Democrats point out that consumers have a voice in this decision since telecoms use the public right-of-way to run their lines and that the telecoms have monopolistic control over this service.

This bill affects the American people and everyone should carefully weigh their opinion. However one thing is glaringly simple: if the telecoms will collect more fees when access to the internet is kept scarce, what incentive will they have to build broad access to the internet over their fiber optic cables? Under the Republican plan, it seems likely the telecoms will profit bigger by providing under-sized cable and relay that constricts the flow of internet traffic. And since there is only one provider available for each location, then what they offer is what you pay for, just like cable TV.



Gene Haynes