Network Neutrality Confusion

As many of my (computer geek) friends know, I'm very opinionated on the issue of Net Neutrality. (Forgive me for my computer nerd posts. Feel free to skip over this post if you don't really care about this sort of thing.) What I've realized recently, from reading online and such, is that this is not an easy issue to explain to someone not technically-oriented. As a result, people get confused, and mistake the issue of Net Neutrality for something else.

If I have to hear one more person say that they're against Net Neutrality because they think it's the ISP's right to charge anyone what they want for internet access (which is absolutely NOT what Net Neutrality is), I'm going to puke.

I connect to the internet through Time Warner Cable's Road Runner ISP. Say, for instance, that the server for JoeShmoe.com connects to the internet through the ACME ISP. (Yeah, I'm really winging this, so forgive me.) This means that I pay for usage of cables and routers that connect my computer to the internet, and JoeShmoe.com pays for the usage of cables and routers that connect their server to the internet. What Net Neutrality says is that Time Warner Cable cannot charge JoeShmoe.com money in order for them to send data from JoeShmoe.com over the cables that connect to my house faster.

Net Neutrality is not about ISPs charging everyone the same amount for internet access, or giving everyone high-speed internet. Remember, the issue is about (for example) Time Warner Cable charging JoeShmoe.com extra money for faster access to my house, not about how much I pay for my internet service.

Net Neutrality is not some "Mumbo Jumbo" that is designed just to make you pay more for your internet service (as a certain commercial from some cable companies states). Net Neutrality is designed to protect the consumer from companies that want to do unfair business practices, not as a "scheme by multi-billion dollar tech Silicon Valley tech companies to get you, the consumer, to pay more for their services."

Net Neutrality is not some unnecessary legislation to make the government step in and regulate something that should be kept free (as a certain fake grassroots website perpetrates). There are several examples of ISPs, especially in places like Canada, charging other companies to send their sites faster on their networks. I won't enumerate examples, but google "net neutrality violations" if you want them.

Sorry if I'm getting too political today, but Net Neutrailty got mentioned on the bus ride back from Envirothon today, and it's been sticking in my head all day.