Net neutrality is the principle that says all information flowing across the Internet should be treated equally. But with more people streaming data-rich video and playing online games, the Internet faces congestion concerns. Should carriers be able to sell multi-tiered access to heavy users? Should sites that generate massive traffic -- like Google and Yahoo! -- pay extra fees? The U.S. Government is examining Net Neutrality and its financial, legal and social implications. Do we need federal intervention to ensure fairness, or is this an issue for the market to work out?
Many of the Internet’s founders have come out against Net neutrality, calling it a threat to future innovation.
For example, David Farber at Carnegie Mellon, whom Wired once called “the Paul Revere of the Digital Revolution," has cited the need for greater security and network flexibility. In a letter to Congress, he noted, “The problem is that some of the practices that network neutrality would prohibit could increase the value of the Internet for customers.”
Other notables who have echoed Dr. Farber’s warning about Net neutrality’s threat to innovation include Robert Kahn, co-designer of the TCP/IP system, and Michael Katz, who was Chief Economist at the FCC in the mid-1990s.
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