Introduction
Research shows that net neutrality should be protected because it prevents the formation of ISP monopolies, provides protections to start-ups and small companies, and prevents ISPs from controlling access to internet content. But what is net neutrality? In 2003, the term net neutrality was used by Tim Wu - a professor at Columbia Law School. The core concept of net neutrality is that all data should be treated equally regardless of source, destination, or content (Jackson, 2014). Proponents of net neutrality contend that governments and internet providers should treat all data in the same way without being biased or discriminatory. Accordingly, a neutral network should not limit users to the platforms, sites, content, or data quantity that they can download.
The concept of net neutrality has been divisive and the United States has seen extensive deliberations and …show more content…
Also, the deliberations surrounding net neutrality has been around before the term was first used in 2003. Really, it began back in 1999. At the time, the question at hand was whether or not broadband companies should be regulated like telephone companies. William Kennard, the FCC chairman, felt that ISPs should not be held to the same regulations as telephone companies. In March of 2002, a different question surrounding the internet came to light. This time, the question centered on the infrastructure used to deliver internet service and whether or not broadband companies should be forced to allow other providers to utilize their infrastructure. The FCC chairman at the time, Michael Powell, decided to classify broadband providers as an information service rather than grouping them with telephone companies as telephone services. The decision provided broadband companies protections from the rules that govern telephone