Net Neutrality: Why You Should Contact Your Senators

What's Net Neutrality?
If you loaded this page without unusual lag or delay, there’s a reason for it. It’s called Net Neutrality; and if the Senate does away with it, there goes your ability to read articles like this on small websites across the World Wide Web.

Since the invention of the internet, every content provider has been treated equally. No publisher, game or website receives any preference when it comes to the speed of their site. Whether you run the website for the New York Times, or you run a website for your local bait and tackle shop, ISPs provide the same level of service to you and your readers. Whether you have a big voice or a small voice, people can access your information with equal ease. In other words, the net is neutral when it comes to content.

But that will all change if Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) and his ilk have their way. Big Telecom and cable companies want to set up a tiered system under which publishers who pay the most are essentially allowed to cruise in the HOV lane, while the rest of us are bogged down in stop-and-go traffic. Under their scheme, big websites like, say, Ebay, would be able to pay for easy access to its materials, while ensuring slower service for smaller sites everywhere. (Not that Ebay wants to pay these higher prices, of course.)

What it Means
The consequences of ending Net Neutrality are staggering.

Right now, on the internet, content is king. If you want visitors to your website, if you want customers for your business, you can put up a page and provide content that will make viewers flock to you. If you have something worthwhile to offer, you’ve got a fair shot to make a name for yourself.

This equal playing field has allowed democratic and capitalist values to flourish.

Yes, there’s a lot of trash on the internet. But for every worthless website, there’s another that has invigorated political participation, pushed alternative sources of investigative journalism into the public sphere, or sparked an explosion of entrepreneurial growth.