Lowell Deeds

The fight over net neutrality is heating up…and all Internet users have a big stake in the outcome…What? You talking to me? I don’t even know what net neutrality is (that’s my alter ego). Net neutrality is when telecommunication giants such as Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T and Verzion provide “all” Internet information at equal speed and quality. Isn’t that what’s happening now? Yes, it is what’s happening now, but… The telecos…What’s a teleco? telecommunication company…As I was saying, the telecos are pouring billions of dollars into fiber-optic cables, which they refer to as “the pipes”. These companies feel that since they own the “pipes” they should be able to charge higher amounts to provide faster and better quality delivery. I don’t get it (Hey, I never said my alter ego was smart)….Here’s an example…If Google wants to provide a video for you to download, the telcos believe Google should pay them a premium for using the extra bandwidth needed to deliver quality video at a fast speed…”through their pipes”. Non-neutrality in effect gives companies the “right” to slow down or in some cases block access to sites that don’t pay them. The telcos argue this will allow them to recoup some of their capital outlay (for the fiber-optic cable) and provide money that can be invested in future development of the Internet… When is all this going to take place? The battle is being fought right now…Last Wednesday the Senate Commerce Committee defeated an amendment that would have guaranteed net neutrality. The vote was 11 opposed to
11 in favor…a definite sign of how divisive this issue is. You know, I think I’ll keep an eye on this. You should in fact all surfers should be following this.