Net Neutrality affects anyone who wants to make a living online, whether with a blog or as a writer for other blogs and websites. What is it exactly? Net neutrality is the idea that the Internet remains a neutral ground for all, where everyone can compete fairly and get their content seen. It levels the playing field, letting the little fish compete on equal ground with the big fish. Small internet businesses may not be able to tackle big companies on the street, but on the Web, individuals can compete with their wits and talents, regardless of budget size. Net neutrality is the key to small business success online.

Lobbies Against Net Neutrality

The large telecommunication companies like Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner and Comcast, have been lobbying to force online businesses to pay a toll for faster web traffic. Those without the funds to pay to tolls would experience slower page loading, or no loading at all. Imagine the damage this would do for your day-to-day productivity!

Information Superhighway Tolls

The idea is sort of like a toll highway. The large telecommunication companies figure they can collect a toll from online businesses to let them use the information superhighway. Business would have to pay for the level of speed they want for traffic traveling into their site. With all the time and effort put towards making the Internet faster, these companies actually want to slow it down for those not able (or willing) to pay a fee.

Protect the User Experience

Slower internet surfing would result in visitors clicking a link and having the page inaccessible or too slow. Most visitors will simply go to another site that will load faster. The user experience would be frustrated, trying to find a link that actually loads quickly. It will bring us back to the old days of dial up, sitting there tapping your fingers waiting for a page to load. Startups would have a hard time coming up with revenue to pay for fast traffic, resulting in stifled innovation and less vibrant competition.

Support Legislation

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act allocated $7.2 billion for expanding broadband access and includes conditions for an open Internet on all broadband networks constructed using public money.

But more legislation is needed to ensure the open Internet is enforced among all networks, not just those that take federal money. The Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 3458) aims to do just that.

If you would like to help ensure the Internet remains neutral, call your Congress representative and tell him or her to endorse the Act. This can be done more easily by visiting SaveTheInternet.com.  This site will also help you send a note to President Obama asking for his support of the bill.

You may recall our post on Net Neutrality and how important it is for those of us struggling to make money online. We contacted our Congressional representative, Ted Kennedy and here is his response on the issue:

Thank you for your recent letter on net neutrality. I appreciate hearing your views on this issue.

The Internet has been a great benefit to our society and continues to hold immense promise for connecting people, providing ready access to educational resources and generating increased commerce. I’m proud to have been the first Senator with a website, and I’ve always found it useful for informing and staying in contact with the people of Massachusetts.

I believe that all Americans should have equal access to modern telecommunications technology and should be able to enjoy the lawful Internet content of their choice. I agree that we must preserve the freedom of the Internet and make sure the nation has the technology and the resources to keep it at the cutting edge.

We must ensure that the Internet continues to grow as vital part of our economy, where consumers can find the best products and best services at the best price, where small and large businesses alike can compete in the global economy, where students and concerned citizens have access to an immense array of news and information and a vast outlet for social dialogue.

I’m concerned, however, that the bills currently being considered in Congress will stifle this growth. We must find a way to ensure that cable, telephone and wireless companies that provide Internet connections don’t become the gatekeepers of the Internet, limiting or controlling the content that flows to and from our homes and businesses. At the same time, we must ensure that the Internet’s technology and infrastructure will continue to improve and expand to meet the needs of the consumers and the businesses that rely on it.

Effective leadership can and should make certain that the continued growth and expansion of the Internet does not mean limiting free and open access to the Internet.

The Judiciary Committee, on which I serve, has long had a major role in defining legal standards governing telecommunications. The Committee recently held a hearing to examine the net neutrality issue more fully and to determine the Committee’s role.

Please be assured that I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to develop legislation that is fair to consumers and will benefit the economy as a whole. Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue.

Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy

Hang in there, Ted. I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Regards,
Killer