Base on this reading, Do you support the idea that Internet traffic should flow freely?

IT ALL STARTED in October 2007, when the "preserve the Internet as an open platform enabling FCC accused Comcast of slowing and in some cases consumer choice, freedom of expression, end-user blocking Internet traffic from BitTorrent. Comcast control, competition, and the freedom to innovate claimed that it was attempting to even the playing field without permission." for the average Internet user whose online speeds Shortly after the Open Internet Order, Comcast was were languishing due to file sharing traffic from a back in court again to contest the FCC's right to regu- minority of its customers. late the Internet. The court ruled in favor of Comcast, Comcast's ability to adjust some users' bandwidth based on the fact that the FCC's jurisdiction did not for the benefit of other users might seem beneficial extend to the Internet. until you consider that ISPs could manipulate Internet Yet the FCC persisted. In 2014, FCC chairman Tom speeds to give preferential access to certain sites and Wheeler proposed a compromise form of net neutral- services while slowing access to others. That practice ity that would allow ISPs to offer "faster lane" options could essentially give ISPs the power to deny access at a premium rate to content providers such as Netflix, to sites based on business, Facebook, and Amazon. That proposal political, or other values. Today's action at the absolutely confused the issue; the FCC's proposed version of net neutral- What if your ISP institutes a FCC could begin the ity was not neutral at all. system whereby you have to pay extra for high-bandwidth dismantling of the open Oppor services, such as movie down- Internet as we know it... neutrality pointed out that considering loads? You might be thinking, the finite amount of bandwidth avail- "There ought to be a law Senator Edward Markey a ble on the Internet, users outside the against that!" That is exactly proposed "faster lanes" would have the opinion of net neutrality supporters. their bandwidth squeezed while the added cost of fast lane services would be passed directly on to the con- The term net neutrality was created by Columbia sumers of such services. media law professor Tim Wu in a 2003 paper Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination. Although the Additionally, opponents of this idea feared that the term net neutrality is relatively new, its roots can be operational costs for fast-lane services would sky- traced to pre-1860 telegram technology. Back then, rocket and those costs would pose barriers to startups standard telegrams were routed equally, without that operate on small budgets-thus, stifling innova- discrimination, and without regard to their contents, tion and competition. The FCC's "faster lanes" brand source, or recipient. Telegraphs were end-to-end of net neutrality satisfied no one. neutral networks. Because telegraph and-later- The net neutrality controversy boils down to simple telephone networks were considered to be public ideology: Should the government regulate the Internet utilities, or common carriers, they were not allowed or not? On the one hand, regulation could prevent to give preferential treatment to one customer over abusive business practices on the part of ISPs. On another. The Federal Communications Commission the other hand, if the Internet were to fall under the (FCC) was formed to regulate common carriers and regulatory control of the FCC, where would the regu- ensure equal access and fair prices. lation end? The FCC currently regulates telephone As the Internet evolved into a massive communication and cellular service. It imposes a variety of taxes and network, the FCC began to regard it as a common fees that add to your monthly bill. Would similar taxes carrier that should fall under the FCC's umbrella of and fees be added to your monthly Internet service? influence. The first step would be to ban ISPs from And would FCC Internet monitoring add yet more slowing or blocking traffic indiscriminately. In 2010, points where the government can collect data on the under the banner of net neutrality, the FCC issued the activities of its citizens? Open Internet Order, a set of regulations designed to