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The problem of regulation on the internet
The problem of regulation on the internet
The problem of regulation on the internet
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Scott Cleland from Net Competition said that net neutrality legislations “mean less privacy for all Americans, as Net neutrality would require more government monitoring and surveillance of Internet traffic” (qtd. from “Net Neutrality”). But what is he talking about anyway? Net neutrality, or the separation between internet service providers (ISP’s) and the content being retrieved through their networks, is an extremely hot topic nowadays. The ideals of net neutrality can be compared to the way you would use electricity in your home. You do not pay your power company a “toaster fee” just so you can plug in your toaster, or a “light bulb fee” just so you can turn on your lights (Gordon; Ammori). Similarly, net neutrality states that ISP’s should not charge for the privilege to use specific programs or services (Ammori). Why would you want to pay for a Netflix package or a YouTube package with your internet service plan? Scott Cleland and Net Competition argue that Americans would suffer a loss of privacy if net neutrality became a reality. But is this true? Will the United States government suddenly start flipping through the pages of every single American’s web browser history? Will the land of the free suddenly become the land of the watched? Not so fast, Scott. It is certainly true that the government will have to start looking a bit closer at network traffic, in order to enforce a neutral internet. Why do you think police officers hang around highways so much? To enforce the speed limit, of course. The same goes for the world wide web. Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the internet, even justified network regulation by the government: “Mostly, the Internet thrives on lack of regulation. But some basic values [still] have to...
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...right to free speech, all while keeping each company’s customer numbers from dropping. The land of the free doesn’t have to be the land of the watched after all.
Works Cited
Ammori, Marvin. "TEDxUofM - Marvin Ammori - Why Internet Policy Matters." YouTube. TEDx Talks. Web. 7 May 2014.
Berners-Lee, Tim. "Net Neutrality: This Is Serious." Web log post. Decentralized Information Group. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Web. 7 May 2014.
Gordon, Whitson. "An Introduction to Net Neutrality: What It Is, What It Means for You, and What You Can Do About It." Lifehacker. Gawker Media. Web. 7 May 2014.
"Moyers on America: The Net @ Risk." Classroom Video On Demand. Films Media Group, 2006. Web. 7 May 2014.
"Net Neutrality." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 7 May 2014.
New Jersey Online Privacy Protection Act, §§ 3-A-C (2000). Print.
When we think of those skilled in the art of rhetoric, we often jump to those we know are trying to convince us of something, like politicians, salesmen, lawyers, etc. We do not always consider corporate CEOs part of that group though Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, would have us believing another thing. On March 20th, 2014, Hastings published an article titled “Internet Tolls And The Case For Strong Net Neutrality” on Netflix’s official blog. Just under a month before the blog was posted, Netflix settled a deal paying Comcast, America’s largest cable and Internet service provider (ISP), for faster and more reliable service to Comcast’s subscribers (Cohen and Wyatt). These “internet tolls” go against the culture of net neutrality in America, which in its essence is when no piece of information is prioritized over another on broadband networks. Hastings took to their blog to advocate for net neutrality and against abusive ISPs. Whether he was conscious of his rhetorical finesse or not, he wrote quite convincingly thus turning this blog into an excellent rhetorical artifact. Reed Hastings’ blog post aims to convince American Internet consumers that strong net neutrality is important by appealing to their values of choice, frugality and empathy while simultaneously making ISPs seem ill intentioned and Netflix seem honorable.
"Racial Profiling." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
The Internet came to be because of the user. Without the user, there is no World Wide Web. It is a set of links and words all created by a group of users, a forum or a community (Weinberger 96). The concept of net neutrality is the affirming concept behind the openness of the net (Vinton Cerf). Vinton Cerf stated, “The Internet was designed with no gatekeepers over new content or services. A lightweight but enforceable neutrality rule is needed to ensure that the Internet continues to thrive” (Vinton Cerf). Moreover, consumers would be protected under a monopolistic market due to network neutrality (Opposing Views). The Open Internet Coalition on Opposing Views.com state that in a perfect world there would be a variable amount of high-speed broadband competitors offering consumers plenty of choices. This would provide a market-based check on violations of Net Neutrality so consumers could pick a provider that respected the open concept. However, the world is imperfect and a mediator is needed to ensure networks remain open and the incentives to innovate and invest will continue to exist (Opposing Views). Lastly, there is an existence of fast and slow lanes without the implementation of network neutrality (Owen 7). This ...
Net Neutrality requires to give everyone access to everything on the internet. This means that your internet provider won’t charge you for using specific websites. But with this, companies will have the ability to charge you for using basic things such as email, Spotify and even YouTube. Fast and slow lanes will also be included which may vary depending of what packages you paid for. But that is just the beginning, being that with this they will be able to control what you are able to see and not, ending Freedom of Speech in the
“The freedom to buy what you want, and not what others tell you to buy; the freedom to say what you want even if it hurts others or incites violence; the freedom to pollute everyone else’s air because you don’t want to be required to have an emissions test or adhere to clean air standards inscribed in law.” (p.
A recent and hotly debated topic among businesses, politicians, and internet users in the United States is that of net neutrality. With the rise of the internet over the past few decades, laws and regulations have struggled to keep up with the ever changing environment. As such, the problem of whether net neutrality should be enforced, and to what extent, has been a dividing issue. This problem has come into the public’s attention recently due to infringements and controversy surrounding policies by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In the following paragraphs, I plan to first define the concept of net neutrality, related topics which are crucial for an informed ethical discussion of the topic, and also related cases in which net neutrality
ISPs, including ATT, express concern about the proposed rules of Net Neutrality that would prohibit it from slowing competitors’ web traffic or accessing content (Shatz). By not allowing the ability for ISPs to regulate its network and the bandwidth that moves through it, it can cause a variety of problems that un...
"Federal Minimum Wage." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 13 May 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013
The concept of Net Neutrality is one with large amounts of controversy behind it. The idea that the internet would give certain types of traffic priority, such as web page requests over video streaming, is necessary to support network growth while others stake the claim that giving this priority undermines the established internet principles of free speech and non-exclusivity. The Federal Communications Commission has put policies in place to strive to a more neutral internet, one such policy being the Open Internet Order. There is heavy debate over whether the internet should be neutral and around whether or not there should be regulations in place to dictate what contents can travel faster than others can. We will be working for Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) in support of net neutrality. Markey argues that net neutrality law is the “Declaration of Independence for the Internet,” where restrictions set on certain types of content on the internet do not limit freedom of expression.
"Affordable Care Act." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
Schmidt, E. E., & Cohen, J. (2014, March 11). The Future of Internet Freedom. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from
Net Neutrality is something that prohibits internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites you want to use. Net Neutrality is the way that the internet has always worked. Without the Net Neutrality rules, companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon will be able to call all the shots and decide which websites, content, and applications we get to use not only that they will be able to charge us for our use.
The internet has been one of the most influential technological advancements of the twenty-first century. It is in millions of homes, schools, and workplaces. The internet offers not only a way of communicating with people around the world, but also a link to information, shopping, chatting, searching, and maps. This freedom to be anyone and to "go" anywhere right from the comfort of home has become a cherished item. However, there is always a down side to every up. Because of the freedom to post anything and access anything on the internet, the issue of regulation has arisen; for example, what should and should not be allowed on the internet? Who has the right to regulate this space that we cherish for its freedom?
Free speech on the Internet is a very controversial subject and has been the key problem surrounding the Internet today. The attempt to regulate and govern the Internet is still pursued by government officials. This subject has been intensified due to terrorist attacks against the United States and around world within the past years. The government believes that by regulating the Internet, it will protect the general public from criminal actions and eliminate the exposure of children to pornography or vulgar language. Senator Jim Exon of ...
In 2012 the United Nations released a report declaring the internet access as a human right (United Nations, 2012). The way people use the internet today across the world makes it an extraordinary force. We can see its