Define the term “network neutrality” | Complete Solution

Define the term “network neutrality” and explain its importance for the development of the Internet. Network neutrality is one of the highest priorities on President Obama’s technology agenda and has been debated in many political bodies, spanning from the US Congress to human rights grassroots activist groups.

Class, select three questions related to network neutrality (listed below) and provide your responses in Week 8 – Discussion area:

- Where should the balance be between public good effects of the Internet and user (and human) rights on the one hand, and the rights of the operators to innovate within the networks they own on the other?

- Would an unregulated market with open competition, as advocated by the Internet carriers, provide unlimited (or sufficient) choice for users? Or should the regulators inevitably be empowered as safeguards, and with what authority?

- How would different regulatory approaches impact the broadband market and further investment and innovation?

- What are the implications of network (non)neutrality for the developing world?

- Will the need for network management for technical (quality) reasons be outdated in future, due to advancements in carrier technology?

- What are the implications of a tiered Internet (‘not neutral’) for competition, innovation, investment, and human rights?

- How will the cloud computing era and the growing dependence on clouds influence the debate on network neutrality, and vice versa?

- Should the debate be extended from traffic management on a carrier level to content and application management on content and application provider level, such as Google, Apple, or Facebook?

- Will consumer protection continue to be intrinsically linked to network neutrality? If network neutrality is defeated, what principles will support consumer protection in future?