To understand net neutrality, it is important to know the history of the Internet. Therefore, I am offering a brief historical review to set the stage for dealing with this important issue.
The entire concept of the Internet evolved out of the government’s need to create a secure communication system for military purposes. This work began as early as 1957, and resulted in the first physical network in 1969. By 1973, Vinton Cerf from Stanford and Bob Kahn from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) had developed the TCP/IP protocol, which led them to refer to this network as the Internet.
In 1983, the Internet Activities Board (IAB) was created. This same year, the University of Wisconsin created Domain Name System (DNS). By 1985, the National Science Foundation began deploying new T1 lines. With the completion of the T1 backbone in 1988, Internet traffic began to increase to the point that ongoing upgrades were necessary. In 1992, a T3 backbone was completed, the Internet Society was chartered, and the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking released the World-Wide Web (www).
With 1994 came the use of the Internet as a medium for commerce, and in 1995, the National Science Foundation contracted with four companies to serve as providers of access to the backbone. In 1999, wireless technology (Wi-Fi) arrived as a built-in feature for portable computers and handheld devices. In 2005, the Netbooks became popular as portable computing devices. The recent emergence of multi-touch technology adds a whole new dimension to connectivity.
A new technology recommendation called IPv6 is slated to replace the current IPv4 which allows for fewer than 4.3 billion directly connected internet devices. With IPv6, the Internet could sustain as many as 13 billion directly-connected Internet devices. With a world population of over 6.5 billion, the IPv6 should do for a while.
The entire purpose for this walk through time is to illustrate the Internet as public property. This incredible medium of communication resulted from and has been sustained by publically-funded initiatives. The Internet has evolved into an indispensible component of our social, commercial, civic, and national life. Over the past several years, the Internet has been proven to be an instrument of innovation and creativity, and one which has brought the people of our nation and the world together in so many positive ways.
Net neutrality seeks to keep the Internet open. FCC Chairman Genachowski supports net neutrality and is working to maintain an open Internet for economic growth and democratic participation. An open Internet will maximize investment and innovation in an environment of competition where entrepreneurs realize universal benefit. Anything less than net neutrality will result in a power struggle for control of content via regulated access.
The challenge for net neutrality is the same challenge that has been going on since 1969, which is the challenge of providing an ever expanding pipe through which an ever expanding range of communication may occur.
At the moment, there is an unwritten rule regulating the Internet which says “give broadband users whatever service, applications, and devices, as long as they don’t harm the network." However, this unwritten rule needs to be formalized along with two additional rules: 1) No discrimination against services or applications by slowing them down; and 2) Broadband providers must reveal how they manage the network when it is congested. Both of these rules are aimed at curbing broadband control of Internet traffic. These rules are critical to regulating broadband power in the areas of competition and choice.
Once again, this is an issue of good government. From the perspective of the public interest, the Internet must be regulated by the Federal Communication Commission and not the industry. Under net neutrality, the Internet remains open to voice over Internet protocol, video conferencing, gaming, sharing, and all uses as covered by the established rules.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) claim that net neutrality rules proposed by the FCC violate their First and Fifth Amendment rights. This is a total stretch on the part of the ISPs. In fact, the opposite is actually true. The threat of the ISPs to regulate traffic over the Internet is in essence a form of blocking and controlling speech. As for the Fifth Amendment, the property argument holds no weight in lieu of the developmental history of the Internet. The Internet and regulation thereof should now and always be a matter of public policy.
Net neutrality is pro-speech, pro-innovation, and good foreign policy. As the moral leader of the world, the United States must stand firm in the defense of Internet freedom. The Internet offers a gateway to all people of the world. It offers the people of other countries to see how a democratic and free country deals with issues of access. Anything less than net neutrality would provide the wrong example. Therefore, net neutrality is our obligation if we are going to be ambassadors for democracy around the world in the 21st Century.
~Bill
