Net Neutrality – Defending Online Innovation

Net Neutrality provides the freedom that has made the internet a great creative commons. It guarantees that the telecom carriers and ISPs do not interfere with the flow of information on the net; it stops them from interfering with the flow of data for profit. Telecom lobbyists are arguing that they should be allowed to sell different levels of service, at different prices. And CISCO is providing the equipment to filter internet traffic according to commercial rules.

Traffic to big corporate web servers would have the right of way over small company traffic. In clear corruption of the internet early values, as described by Lawrence Lessig , famous for his book Future of Ideas, calls it the end-to-end principle so essential for the internet to continue to be a creative commons, where anybody can connect anything from anywhere on the internet.

The future is being sold to industries of the past.

Yet, Net neutrality is so easy to take for granted. Like free breathable air, freedom of speech, freedom of movement. You only notice them when they are absent or taken away from you. I think many non-militant people will become radicals pro-freedom activists, when big business puts its first filters in.

Small business entrepreneurs are the first into the fray. As a technologist and entrepreneur it is unthinkable that new statups companies should have to ask permission and pay for the privilege of connecting my web servers to the internet. The loss of net neutrality will kill off hundreds and thousands of startups with enormous potential.

The political battle is currently ongoing in Washington. Recently the telecom corporations had a victory, as net neutrality legislation was set back Telecoms groups turn back plans for net price controls, a few organizations lobbying to maintain net freedom are

• The Struggle for Net Freedom
• Save the Internet Coalition
• Substrate Neutrality

There is so much we take for granted
Paul Elosegui