CTO net neutrality - pub discussions #1

cloud technology pub discussions:#1 Net Neutrality

Net neutrality: the principle that all

internet traffic is treated equally on the network.

The Question?

Should the network which delivers our internet be a dumb pipe a standard common

public service just the same as the water supply?

Or?

Open to manipulation and innovation,

driven by free market forces, by the network providers?

The case for neutrality

Allowing network service providers to charge

for content will lead to a multi tier internet.

Super quick highway for those that pay.

Congested country road for the rest.

Advantages for corporate users over the public.

Barrier to start-up providers trying to

compete with the big guns. Reducingapplication innovation and participation.

The case for an unregulated network

The net is global – no one government or body can regulate neutrality.

Application providers already sell tiered services – the internet isn’t neutral before

the traffic hits the network.

Unlike water data is not all equal...

TV streaming has different demands on

a network from a nightly backup of

data.

Voice over IP (VOIP) has different demands from a

google search.

What really is the problem?

The internet network backbone has an abundance of provider choice and

redundancy of bandwidth for premium services to make a negligible difference.

So what is it?

The last mile.

The last mile of delivery to your home or business is the most expensive and with

the least competition...

Do you want your ISP to be able control the data you receive and throttle the

speed…

with you having to pay to keep up with the neighbours.

Which side of the fence?

Neutrality preserves the level playing for providers and consumers both big and small

– encouraging new application innovation and lowers the barrier for participation.

Neutrality threatens to block business providing services with greater speed and

reliability and reduces investment and innovation in the network.

@comparethecloud says: ‘the acid test for net neutrality proponents shouldn’t really be

whether network providers allow the purchase of premium service levels, but

whether in doing so it has an undesirable effect on the service that is received by others

on the standard service”.

What do you think? Contact CTO and let us know.

www.cto.uk.cominfo@cto.uk.com

tel: 0044 (0)20 3478 9049