Net Neutrality

As I was reading the second chapter of Media and Culture I came across the case study about Net Neutrality. Net neutrality is when all of the Internet web pages come in at the same speed and have the same access. Basically the companies that pay the telephone and cable companies more money have faster connection, and better access. The telephone and cable companies believe that their priority access should go to the customers paying the higher rates. The small companies who can’t afford what AT&T or Verizon can afford are running slower than the larger corporations. These corporations believe that their inducement to post their websites is based on them having a faster connection than the smaller owned websites. Media and Culture states, “Ironically, the telephone and cable companies seemed to have had plenty of incentive in the past- they’ve built profitable and neutral networks for decades.” This is a good point in displaying how the Internet is becoming as capitalistic as the country. Internet access and speed should be equal for anyone using it. It is the space in the world where someone can run a business on little to no money. That is how the Internet started and that’s how it should remain. The cable companies are just looking to make some extra money off the big corporations instead of thinking of the small businesses that could be completely wiped out over this. Even popular web pages like facebook are all for net neutrality considering they are a free corporation run strictly on advertisements. If the cable companies pass this law of undemocratic Internet use then they will control the fast Internet sites with the more expensive products. Anything you purchase over the Internet that is inexpensive will be less convenient to purchase due to its slow access. Charities and non-profit organizations will be opening just as slow. Getting a law against net neutrality seems extremely unfair to most websites without the big bucks.