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*Net Neutrality* is the concept that internet traffic, at the ISP level, is all treated equally. This means that, regardless of what I’m doing, one can expect that their ISP is not actively effecting the speed at which that data is being sent to them. The ISP has no baring on the usage of one site for one purpose or another. In a non-neutral environment, ISPs can decide to speed up traffic at websites and throttle speeds at others e.g.
if Sasktel, a popular ISP in Regina, had deals with video service *DailyMotion*, then it’s very likely that traffic with popular competitor *YouTube* would suddenly be slower. Network Neutrality is an ethical issue, because the internet is an important conduit for information and communication, and with online video, speed is more important than it has ever been. ISPs are strongly against Net Neutrality, as there are strong financial benefits for them if they don’t uphold it. The ability for ISPs, whom generally have limited competition in most of the locations they serve, are able to control traffic by limiting speed, then there’s no reason that ability wouldn’t not be mishandled by ISPs. not just at the expense of the user’s convenience, but politically as well. In a non-neutral environment, it’s likely that politicians would want to start using this to their advantage.
If an ISP want to affect law in it’s favor, then it would be prudent for the ISP to talk to make deals with the politicians in power. Since they would then become invested in that politician continuing to hold power, they would be actively invested in their campaign, and against their opponent. It would be in their best interests to throttle traffic for the opposition and speed up traffic for the politician they made a deal with.. .nt to be from it’s inception.
An open, rapidly evolving marketplace of ideas and services with strong societal benefit. Cable companies have a strong desire to be able to control this space to their benefit, destroying the strongly competitive abilities of the internet, and opening it up to even greater political manipulation than is currently able. Thus, the problem of Net Neutrality is an ethical one, and there are strong ethical, political, and economic problems to not maintaining it. Citations—————–1 *Shaw streaming* www.shaw.ca/television/shaw-go/2 *CTV go, Owned by Bell* www.
ctv.ca/ctvgo 3 *rogers on demand streaming* www.rogersondemand.com4 GROSS, GRANT *Net neutrality ruling complicates U.S. transition to IP networks* http://www.
pcworld.com/article/2144660/net-neutrality-ruling-complicates-us-transition-to-ip-networks.html
