What is 'Net Neutrality'? Are your for or against it?

Question

Some resources for and against 'Net Neutrality'

http://wired.com/news/wireservice/0,70800-0.html
http://dig.csail.mit.edu/breadcrumbs/node/144
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UlCXXZTTh8
http://www.handsoff.org/

Answer 1

Net neutrality is a proposal by telephone companies and some others to make the Internet available at higher speed for a premium cost. If you want a higher speed now you have to rent or buy a higher speed delivery system such as T-1 or OC-3. With the proposals of movie delivery etc. there are those who want users of high speed data to have access to a higher speed Internet. As with most of these proposals, neutrality isn't necessarily the same for all users. Same as communism where everyone is equal, however some are more equal than others. If congress could only be unbought!

Answer 2

For!

Basically, Net Neutrality would prevent Internet Service Providers from charging content providers a premium to have their content download faster.

Lets say you get your internet service from Charter. Charter wants to make money by charging companies more so you and their other subscribers can view their sites faster. So the big companies, like Yahoo, Microsoft, CNN, Amazon, can afford it, and pay Charter big bucks to get 'premium speed' on their websites. Little companies just starting out cant afford it, and get relegated to 'turtle speed' on their websites.
When you surf the net and go shopping, where will you most likely go? The big companies that have super fast connections, or the new ones that are stuck with slow connections? Most people will take the fast ones, even if the items are more expensive or have less selection.

Basically it stifles competition and innovation on the internet, which is a BAD thing for consumers. Net Neutrality makes the internet a level playing field for all.