Net Neutrality
Like usual it has been a while since I blogged but a few things came up this week (Now technically last week) that caught my attention enough to make me want to write up something here. The second issue is going to send me off on a rant so I’ll save that excitement for later in the week.
There were a few stories related to Net Neutrality this week which gave me a wide range of emotions from optimism, to disappointment, to pulling out my hair frustration. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Net Neutrality is basically the idea that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally and none of it should be blocked. This is somewhat of an oversimplification of terminology but also underscores one of the problems with Net Neutrality in that it means different things to different people but in general the IT community and end users are in favour of it and internet providers are against it.
The First article from Ars outlines the CRTC’s ruling that traffic shaping (the act of slowing down certain types of traffic or all traffic to a specific user) should be a last resort for ISPs who are having network issues. The ruling says that economic measures like investing in network infrastructure, data caps and discounts should be taken before any shaping occurs. While it doesn’t lay down strict net neutrality rules the ruling does set out a framework for traffic management measures which gives me optimism that the telecommunication companies won’t get free rain to do whatever they want if it isn’t in their best interest. Also this week the FCC announced that it had come to an agreement with most of the US ISP’s about implementing a new net neutrality proposal which is also great as it looked like everyone was coming to an agreement that would be mutually beneficial for both the users and the ISPs.
Then we get to the to the paragraph that should be titled “Don’t quit your day job Senator because you obviously don’t have any idea what you’re talking about here.” In the midst of all of this Senator John McCain introduces a bill that would ban all internet regulations (except when the government needed them for security). In his words the bill looks to:
“allow for continued innovation that will in turn create more high-paying jobs for the millions of Americans who are out of work or seeking new employment,” and that “Keeping businesses free from oppressive regulations is the best stimulus for the current economy.”
This statement is more then a little absurd as one of the goals of net neutrality is to continue to allow for innovation that could be stifled if the ISPs get to control what traffic is allowed. It is true that up until now there has been no government regulations on ISPs but there also hasn’t been any traffic shaping and block (or not on a wide scale). Normally laws don’t get created until there is a problem as there is no way when something new (the the internet) is created to anticipate everything that may happen and to create a set of laws for proper usage.
I could go on about this but I’ll leave here with two final ideas. The reason why the internet has had so much creativity is because it is an open platform and letting the big telecommunication companies decide what works best for the internet will probably mean they decide to do what is best for them and not the end user. If Rogers (my internet provider) has the ability to block me from streaming TV shows on my xbox so the only way I can watch my shows is by buying their cable subscription that is an inherit conflict on interest and definitely not good for me as a consumer. Also it seems like McCain is doing the same and only looking out for himself as the reason he is backing this bill is most likely because AT&T (a large US ISP) is such a large contribute of his.
Nice to see politics never change even in the digital age.