Net Neutrality: The Battle Rages on

The Net Neutrality Debate

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that net neutrality, as Laudon and Laudon (2020) point out, could simply be defined as the idea that Internet service providers must allow customers equal access to content and applications, regardless of the source or nature of the content (265). This is more or less the same meaning that Mapua (2016) assigns to net neutrality. As Mapua further point out, net neutrality essentially implies that favoritism is not applied in any manner or form in relation to the data travelling over the networks of Internet service providers. It therefore follows that net neutrality happens to be an instrumental principle in efforts to further advance the openness and fairness of Internet utilization. Over the past few years, there has been raging debate on the subject of net neutrality. On one side of the debate are those opposed to the same, while on the other side we have those who are of the opinion that nothing should be done to repel net neutrality.

Those in favor of net neutrality are inclusive of, but they are not limited to: various small businesses and bloggers; major consumer groups; big enterprises which also happen to be heavy bandwidth consumers such as Google, Netflix and Amazon; as well as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (Laudon and Laudon, 2020). There are a host of reasons that those who advocate for net neutrality have fronted for their position. One such reason is that in the absence of net neutrality, differentiated pricing would likely be effected. Such a move, as Laudon and Laudon (2020) point out would result in the imposition of heavy costs on heavy bandwidth users such as YouTube, Skype, and other innovative services, preventing high-bandwidth startup companies from gaining traction (265). Yet another valid concern has got to do with the real possibility of some internet service providers including Comcast, which also happens to be a cable enterprise, blocking content from companies such as Hulu or even Netflix in an attempt to drive traffic to their movie rental services that happen to be on-demand. This would obviously harm the interests of online video streaming companies.

On the other hand, those opposed to net neutrality are inclusive of Ajit Pai (a Trump administration appointee at the FCC). They present equally compelling reasons for their position. Pai is convinced that consumers would be able to benefit from lower prices following the repeal of net neutrality. In his opinion, this is more so the case given that ISPs would likely seek to offset their costs with the use of paid prioritization deals with websites for faster delivery of their content (Laudon and Laudon, 2020, p. 265). However, it would be prudent to note that as the authors further point out, this is a point of view that has been aggressively countered by those in support of neutrality. More specifically, they make an observation to the effect that in the absence of net neutrality,...

…as Pickard and Berman (2019) point out, net neutrality advances the idea or conception that ISPs are not to create special arrangements with services or websites, in which companies providing them are given improved network access or speed (173).

Personal Statement on Net Neutrality

In the final analysis, it would be prudent to note that I am in favor of having Internet neutrality fully enforced. This is more so the case given that from what I have gathered from the article, as well as from what I have come across upon review of the relevant literature on the subject, doing away with net neutrality rules and standards would limit user access to balanced and diverse content on the Internet. This is more so the case given that the Internet would end up only being convenient to established entities that can be able to afford fast lane access (Rudolph, 2019). Smaller companies whose budgets may be too tight would be relegated to the sidelines.

I am also convinced that we cannot fully achieve an open internet in the absence of net neutrality. This is more so the case given that net neutrality makes it difficult for ISPs to engage in any form of harmful and retrogressive competitive strategies such as data discrimination. It is on the basis of these and more reasons that I join others, including consumer rights advocates, in calling for the enforcement of net neutrality. The said enforcement would be in line with the advancement of innovation, fair competition amongst businesses, as…