What is Net Neutrality? It's very simple, it should be neutral. Nothing more, nothing less!

The internet should be just like a utility, like electric or gas. For me it's not a luxury, it's a necessity...like a microwave. I didn't know I needed one until I had one. I remember my parent's being the same way. It's an information highway, it opens up the whole world. It's opened up this channel for me to write my woes's & gripes. Whether or not anybody else ever reads them, it's an awesome out-let for me. It's my escape, it's my door into another world. I think this door should be open for everybody to experience. But sadly, it is a luxury for a lot of people, or they seem to think it's a luxury because they haven't experienced it...like my parents. They think it's too expensive and don't see the value in it. But I know, just like the microwave, once they have it and experienced it for what it is, they wouldn't want to be without it. Not only does it open up the world, but it open's up your living room to your own family. Most are in awe the first time you video chat. It would be nice to see my mom more often. Sometimes it get a bad rap, It's not just for games or porn. It does have some evil in it, but I think the good out-weighs all the negatives. So it needs to stay neutral. If Comcast or any provider needs to upgrade their systems because of the increase in traffic, then they should charge us more. I said us, the consumer. I don't think they should be getting into the business of charging Netflix or Hulu or what ever content provider we choose to watch, listen too, or read because then whatever content provider has the most money, is going to get preferential treatment into my home. That should be my business, and only my business. The electric company doesn't worry about which light bulbs I use. If I use more electricity, they charge me more money. The same should hold true with Comcast, Qwest or which ever provider we use.   Give me a fast, reliable connection into my home, and let me decide how to use it. I'm for TOTAL net neutrality.

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What is Net Neutrality?

As its name indicates, net neutrality is about creating a neutral internet. The basic principle driving net neutrality is that the internet should be a free and open platform, almost like any other utility we use in our home (like electricity). Users should be able to use their bandwidth however they want (as long as it's legal), and internet service providers should not be able to provide priority service to any corner of the internet. Every web site (whether it's Google, Netflix, Amazon, or UnknownStartup.com) should all be treated the same when it comes to giving users the bandwidth to reach the internet-connected services they prefer. Your electric company has no say over how you use your electricity—they only get to charge you for providing the electricity. Net neutrality aims to do something similar with your internet pipes.

What are the Arguments For Net Neutrality?

Proponents of net neutrality don't want to give the ISPs too much power because it could easily be abused. Imagine that Verizon or AT&T don't like the idea of Google Voice, because it allows you to send text messages for free using your data connection. Your cellphone carrier could block access to Google Voice from your smartphone so you're forced to pay for a texting plan from them. Or, they see that a lot of people are using Facebook on their smartphone, so even if they have the bandwidth to carry that traffic, they decide to charge you extra to access Facebook, just because they know it's in high demand and that they can make a profit.

Similarly, Comcast recently got in a tiff with Netflix over its streaming video offerings, essentially telling Netflix's partners that they'd need to pay if they wanted their content delivered on their network. Comcast argued that streaming Netflix is a huge traffic burden, and if they're going to provide that service they'll need to update their infrastructure. Netflix's argument was that Comcast provides the internet, and it's Comcasts users that have requested that extra bandwidth for the services they want.

What are the Arguments Against Net Neutrality?

Anti-net neutrality activists argue that internet service providers have a right to distribute their network differently among services, and that in fact, it's the ISPs that are innovating. They argue that giving preferential treatment to different services isn't a bad thing; in fact, sometimes it's necessary. In the recent Comcast/Netflix debate, they point out that if Netflix is sucking up all their bandwidth, they should be the ones to pay for the necessary updates that Comcast's systems will require because of it. Read more at lifehacker.com

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Related articles

• An Introduction to Net Neutrality: What It Is, What It Means for You, and What You Can Do About It [Explainer] (lifehacker.com)
• Comcast & Netflix In Net Neutrality Row: Now Will You Care About Net Neutrality? (crunchgear.com)

FCC Chair Seeks Comcast-NBC Merger Conditions. Who's Comcast bill is going up?

It just doesn't sit right with me. I have a hard time with the idea of Comcast, the largest cable/internet provider buying NBC's vast media empire. Are they buying NBC to offer us more choices at a better price, or are we going to be stuck paying more for programming we don't want to watch? Why don't they focus on offering us programming packages that fit our needs, instead of buying content we might not want?

Amplify’d from www.huffingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Communications Commission is proposing regulatory conditions to ensure that cable TV giant Comcast Corp. cannot stifle competition in the video market once it takes control of NBC Universal.

Genachowski wants to ensure that Comcast won't be able to use its control over NBC's vast media empire to withhold content from emerging online competitors such as Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. – locking consumers into costly monthly cable bills to get access to a wide range of popular programming.

Comcast is seeking government approval to buy a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. for $13.8 billion in cash and assets.

The combination would give the nation's largest cable TV company control over the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, popular cable channels including CNBC, Bravo and Oxygen and the Universal Pictures movie studio. It would also give Comcast a roughly 30 percent stake in Hulu.com, which has become a popular online platform for broadcast programming from NBC, ABC and Fox.

One condition missing from Genachowski's proposal is a requirement that Comcast divest NBC's stake in Hulu. One influential lawmaker, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., has urged regulators to force Comcast to do that, given that the service could represent a competitive threat to Comcast's core cable business. Kohl chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee that oversees antitrust policy and consumer rights. Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

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• Early Christmas for Comcast: FCC Chair Approves NBC Universal Merger (dailyfinance.com)