Webservations - the Canvas Dreams blog

By now, you may have received an email notice from various Internet organizations -- or not -- alerting you to something called "network neutrality", and how changing laws governing the Internet could affect your ability to access online content.

 

Network neutrality means an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other telecommunications company cannot regulate or impede the flow of data passing through its network based on the content or source of that data. It means you, as a paying Internet customer, should have the same privileges to access information over the Internet regardless of what you're accessing and who is providing it.

 

 

For example, if Comcast is your ISP, and you like to download movies, Comcast should not be able to limit you from downloading movies with controversial themes. Likewise, Comcast should permit you to download those movies from any source online, including one of its direct competitors.

 

Here's a few more examples.

• A business owner has no more right to download stock trading notes, than a grandmother performing genealogy research.
  
  
• A company's "official" emails should not be sent over the Web any faster than your personal messages to family members.
  
  
• A video conference call at a downtown office should be transmitted over the same networks no faster than your instant message conversations with your friends.

Network neutrality implies that everyone should have the same right to send and receive data, across a given network, without consideration of the "perceived importance" or intended use for that data.

 

 

All of the data sent via the Internet is done so in small pieces of information called packets. Think of packets traveling along the Internet the same way you do cars on a highway. The total volume of traffic on the highway is limited to the number of lanes (bandwidth) and the number of cars (packets). As the number of cars increase, and all of the lanes fill up, the slower traffic moves.

 

In the same way, the efficiency of Internet traffic is limited to available bandwidth. If networks get bogged down because of too much traffic, the solution is to either increase the amount of bandwidth (either through the use of additional connections, routes, or networks) or to try and regulate the packets being sent across it.

 

Consider that last statement. How might packets be regulated as they pass through a clogged network? Certain packets would need to be granted priority, and others made to wait in a queue (exactly the same as metered freeway on-ramps). Regulating data flow would mean that certain information would be deemed more important, and granted access to the "express lane", whereas other data would be put into a slower lane.

 

Questions about this regulation include: how would data be deemed important or not? Would businesses receive preferential treatment? Would certain content providers see their data sent faster, while other providers saw their services suffer? What about cases where an ISP is also a content provider? Would competitors give the ISP's customers slower connections, or penalize them altogether for using a different ISP, to the point of making certain content inaccessible? Might Verizon prevent its users from accessing AOL content or CNN.com's Pipeline? Could entire ISPs limit or block their users from accessing content in foreign countries? While some of the concerns raised follow a "slippery slope" progression, the point is made. Where does it all end?

 

For those of us at Canvas Dreams, this is a serious matter. We have a firm commitment to remain neutral to all of our customers, just as our backbone providers are neutral, but at present there is no legislation forcing us, or our providers, to remain so. We would like nothing more than to guarantee unrestricted access to our customer's data, but that guarantee could only extend to our provider. Beyond our network, it's possible that one of the giant, national ISPs might abruptly decide to limit their customers' access to our customers' Web sites. Now you see just how fragile it all is.

 

 

At present, the U.S. government is largely hands-off when it comes to getting involved. Current laws do not enforce neutrality of any sort. The present-day legislation spoken of in the news would be aimed at creating new laws to guarantee neutrality, rather than the status quo.

 

If you're wondering why you haven't heard much about the status quo before, well, up until now, there has been a glut of bandwidth. The highway is largely unused, and while lanes are starting to fill up, at present there's little shortage of availability for Internet users. Five or ten years from now, however, it might be a different story, as the number of broadband Internet services substantially increases, such as VoIP phones, online television, and movie downloads. At that point, bandwidth might come under short supply. Such a situation could force networks to add more lanes or meter their traffic.

 

One thing is clear, however. The nature of America as a free market economy could help prevent companies from getting greedy over bandwidth, at least to an extent, but there are always companies who without enforced rules, will break the spirit of the rule. At the same time, while industry regulation could provide a legal guarantee that access would remain equal for all, it would not address the issue that bandwidth could likely be in short supply.

 

Regardless, we at Canvas Dreams will track the ongoing debate, and keep you informed about it. We'll do so the best we can, while remaining "network neutral" on the matter!

 

Best Regards,

 

David Anderson

Principal, Canvas Dreams LLC