Correct me if I get this wrong… The (aesthetically questionable) term “Net Neutrality” means that the mega-corporations who own and operate the technical workings of the Internet — like ComCast or Verizon, the ones who charge us monthly fees for our Internet access — shouldn’t be allowed to make certain websites easier to access than other websites.
What’s so cool about the Internet is that it levels the playing field. Everybody can raise their voice and post it publicly. But the House of Representatives passed some legislation that would allow Internet Service Providers to charge extra for more access. So rich people and companies would be able to have websites that everyone could quickly and easily access, but most people who couldn’t afford to spend the extra money, their websites would be slow and hard to access. This would basically take us back to last century, when big companies like NBC, ABC and CBS broadcast their dominant signal, and everybody else had to just shut up and watch.
The good news is the Senate rejected the House’s legislation today. And even if it had passed in the Senate, Obama pledged to veto it. Fight’s far from over, but it seems we’re in a good spot today. Phew!