Huh? What's this Net Neutrality Stuff?

Hello,
I am taking a quick break from my usual ramblings and mutterings to address the topic of Net Neutrality. Tomorrow, Feb. 26th, 2015 the Senate will be voting on Net Neutrality. What is it? Well, I am by no means an expert, but I shall try to lay this out in an easy-to-follow format:

     The net neutrality debate (sometimes called open internet) has been in the news a lot recently. In a nutshell, it revolves around the FCC, or Federal Trade Commission. This group sets down rules and classifications for communications, among other things. Telephone lines, for example, are classified as a public utility under the telecommunications act of 1934 (amended again in 1996). As a public utility, phone lines fall under a certain set of guidelines they have to follow. The internet has no such guidelines. Supporters of Net Neutrality want to classify the internet under Title II of the telecommunications act.

     Basically, if the internet were re-classified under Title II, independent companies like Comcast, Time Warner, and others would need to follow a set of rules and guidelines for how they provide service to the public (that's you and me). This can include things like no "fast or slow" lanes, equal access to websites, and more competition which would mean lower prices.

     Comcast has been in the news a lot lately. It was discovered they, along with some other companies, have been looking to gain more profit by charging companies like Netflix for access to a "fast lane" to customers. This is unfair in several ways. Any companies not willing to pay for a "fast lane" could be intentionally slowed by Comcast so that the website is almost unusable. Torrent sites in particular have faced this dilemma. Meanwhile, Netflix is having to pay millions of dollars for what it used to have for free: unrestricted access to user's homes.

     Will Net Neutrality fix this? The answer is a solid maybe. On the one hand, if the internet is under Title II, then the FCC and government will have the ability to regulate this aspect of the internet. On the other hand, the 322 page document outlining all the specifics and fine print of this agreement will not be released until after this has been voted on. Will this document give the government too much control? We don't know.

     What is my opinion on all this? Well I don't like the way things are now. Because of the current situation, my internet is slow on some websites and faster on others, I can only receive Comcast, because they own the rights to the cable beneath my apartment. But I also don't like that we are voting on a 322 page sealed document...

There is a lot more information about this argument, but I tried to keep it concise, accurate, and mostly non-opinionated.

Hope you enjoy,
Woof!