Conclusion

Well this is my last post on the subject matter of Net Neutrality. Over the short month and a half of researching this topic I have learned a great deal of information that if not for this project I never would have even bother to look. Net Neutrality as we currently speak is simply what we do everyday. We click on any browser we like and we explore the Internet to our hearts content. No regulation or restriction that we have to abide by, just the speed of our connection of course. The reason why the Internet has boomed and blossomed into such a beautiful thing is because of the openness that it presents by giving us the freedom to do so as we so choose. Of course in other countries there are different restrictions on the content you can access. Such as Vietnam blocking social media sites like facebook. But currently we, the US, do not face such a thing. If Net Neutrality were to be no longer neutral then we would face problems like these where we are restricted by what we can access and how we would like to access them, i.e. browsers.

My research has showed me that this whole topic will change how we interact in the near future. The FCC is holding a vote this up coming December 21, 2010 to decide on the Net Neutrality proposals. Basically, our Internet will be the same for those wired but those wireless like our cell phones will under go some different alterations, such as an increase in our monthly bill depending on how much usage we consume. There will no longer be the “unlimited” data plans that allow everyone to consume as much as we want and congest everything up. This is basically like the gasoline situation where you jack up the price and everyone will pay because they have to. There isn’t an alternative right now that would help elevate the payments that some “data hogs” must now pay.

The Pros and Cons of this Net Neutrality are kind of understandable if you step away for a second and look at it rationally. Of course having the Internet regulated will decrease the amount of viruses and malicious acts that occur but do you really think McAfee or Norton will really want that to disappear? Without those they will be out of a job because you never ever want to bite the hands that feed you. And the obvious con with be all the restriction that would be impose on the individuals. Worst-case scenario we are looking at the Internet as television where you have to pay to get a certain package. Like $40 gets you Google but you need $60 in order to gain access to Yahoo. And I am more than positive no one wants that because then you will lose the essence of why the Internet is so great to begin with. The openness and readily available information that one can access is a major turn on. That’s why the libraries are slowly dying off one by one.

I went into this wondering why no one knew more about this situation and the more I read the more I understood why. The reason why this isn’t getting nay much play in the media realm is because it doesn't have to. I conducted a survey that just proved that not a lot of people have even the slightest clue what Net Neutrality is or even the Google and Verizon proposal. Our Internet will stay the same, for now, and the only thing that will change is the increase in our monthly payment. But they always have increases in monthly bill because they know we will pay for them.

At the end of the day we will pay for the consumption because that is what we want to have. The Google Verizon pact will just make it so that you have to pay to get more. Some how down the line I do believe that there will be a problem like the Comcast situation again. It’s inevitable. The ISPs will want control and some say over the content they provide and we will still want open access. This is a very fluid situation and can change all the time. Nothing for sure can be set in stone except the fact that things will change.