Net Netrality

I decided to do this assignment on the topic of Net Neutrality. Prior to this week's class, I had never even heard of net neutrality before, which I find to be rather alarming. In addition to the information I gathered in class this week on the topic, I read a very informing article on net neutrality by the Apple Insider. The article explained the ins and outs of net neutrality, including its origins, its consequences, what it means to every day consumers, and even the President's view on the topic. A line that I found very helpful in explaining the issue was "cable companies are currently fighting for the ability to throttle Internet traffic from certain sources, while giving preferred content a fast lane over their network" (Robles, 2014). My reaction to this topic stayed consistent throughout the entire article: I support net neutrality. I think that it is critical to keep the Internet free and open to everyone, just as it has been in the past. I think that if cable companies and Internet providers began charging g and certain services the amount of users would decline dramatically. Overall, I feel as though the absence of net neutrality would cause technology, research, social media, shopping to fall back rather than come forward. Just as Obama had told in a statement he made to the FCC, I believe the Web should be "open and free" (Obama, 2014).

Robles, S. (2014, November 14). Inside the net neutrality dispute, and why it's important to Apple users. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/11/15/inside-the-net-neutrality-dispute-and-why-its-important-to-apple-users