Net Neutrality

“The concept of “net neutrality’' holds that companies providing Internet service should treat all sources of data equally (The New York Times).” This concept of net neutrality has been debated for many years now and it is more important than ever before. Currently, there is a debate over whether an Internet Service Provider (ISP) can give preferential treatment to content providers who pay for faster transmission, or to their own content, in effect creating a two-tier Web, and about whether they can block or impede content representing controversial points of view (The New York Times).  To illuminate the concept of net neutrality, in 2007, Comcast Internet users discovered that Comcast was secretly interfering with its customers’ lawful use of BitTorrent and other peer-to-peer applications (Federal Communications Commissions).  The debate over whether certain Internet Service Provider’s such as Comcast should be able to regulate speeds is a very difficult decision and includes a great deal of ethical discussion.  In the grand scheme of the Internet, I strongly feel that regulations need to be put into place to make it fair for everyone.

Someone in favor of net neutrality would argue that the Internet should be free for everyone and should not have any limits especially regulated by the government or their. I couldn’t agree more to this argument because I am a very avid Internet user and own a business where it is my main audience. My biggest issue with this problem is that I pay for a very fast Internet connection, but I do not receive fast Internet. Many times I will do an online speed test to see how fast my Internet speeds are and they are usually about half of what I am paying for. This happens because users within the local Comcast network are hogging bandwidth.  Hogging bandwidth mostly occurs when someone on the network is downloading large files from programs such as BitTorrnet, which is usually illegal content. When someone is downloading large files, it creates a major drag on the rest of the customers on the network even though they may pay for the same speed. So how can implementing laws against net neutrality help customers who pay for a service but prevent others stealing parts of it from them? Well, allowing Internet Service Provider’s to ban programs such as BitTorrent and other peer-to-peer programs will free up bandwidth and bring well-deserved money back into the economy.

     Our economy is weak and is striving to recover, but the Internet is hindering a growth that can be prevented by Internet Service Providers’s being allowed to block programs that are mostly associated with downloading illegal content. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (represents 1,400 companies in 72 countries), the international equivalent of the Recording Industry Association of America (represents 85% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States), has put out new stats claiming that only 5 percent of all music downloads in 2008 were legal. The group estimated that 40 billion tracks were shared illegally last year, or an average of almost 30 songs for every Internet user worldwide (Longino, Carlo). This figure equates to only a small percentage of illegal content downloaded from peer-to-peer programs. To put this in perspective, statistics on Torrent Freak written by Ernesto, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, states that between 50 and 65 percent of all download traffic is peer-to-peer related and between 75 and 90 percent of all upload traffic is peer-to-peer related. Most bandwidth usage is due to large files such as movies, which can be greater than a gigabyte. Torrent Freak also states that 61.4% of all peer-to-peer downloads are video, 11.3% are audio, and 27.2% are games/software/etc. If we were to rid of the net neutrality model, then the United States government would generate revenue from the content that is currently being downloaded illegally and it would also benefit the creators of the content.

Not only does downloading large files use a plethora of bandwidth, but services such as Netflix, an online instant movie stream, uses comparable drags. Being the largest streaming video service in North America, it at peak times it accounts for about one-fifth of all U.S. traffic on the Internet (Reardon, Marguerite). Joe Waz, a senior vice president at Comcast, told the New York Times that the fee is just a standard "commercial arrangement," and that the fees are only fair since Level 3 and Netflix are dumping a lot more traffic on Comcast to distribute (Gallagher, Sean). The same principle when someone downloads a movie from a peer-to-peer program is very similar to streaming an instant Netflix movie. They both require a great deal of bandwidth and memory that will be consequentially affecting others on the network. Nicholas Deleon, famous technological write provides a quote that put in perspective that net neutrality isn’t far for the Internet Service Provider: “Clearly streaming media is taking over the world, but there’s one problem: bandwidth isn’t free, and that’s Comcast’s biggest complaint. If you want Comcast to carry this or that stream, then you can’t expect Comcast to do so at a loss, right?”

 

In conclusion, Internet Service Provider’s should be given the right to regulate how they delegate their Internet distribution. When someone downloads large files or streams instant movies, it slows down their Internet for the other who pays the same rate. Not only will allowing Internet Service Providers to regulate usage but it will also pump money back into the economy. All the money that is going to illegal downloads will be shifted back into the market, thus, potentially leading to a lesser national debt. While someone may say it is unethical to regulate the Internet, it is clearly illustrated that many customers are not getting services they are paying for and that the government is losing critical funds due to cyber theft. Regulating net neutrality can prevent this!

References

Deleon, Nicholas. "Comcast & Netflix In Net Neutrality Row: Now Will You Care About Net Neutrality?" CrunchGear. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/11/30/comcast-netflix-in-net-neutrality-row-now-will-you-care-about-net-neutrality/>.

Ernesto. "Peer to Peer Traffic Statistics." Torrent News, Sites and the Latest Scoops. 18 Mar. 2006. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://torrentfreak.com/peer-to-peer-traffic-statistics/>.

Gallagher, Sean. "How the Comcast-Netflix Debate Affects You." Tech Goes Strong. NBC Universal Inc, 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.techgoesstrong.com/comcast-netflix-net-neutrality-and-you>.

Longino, Carlo. "IFPI Says 95% of Music Downloads Are Illegal | Techdirt." Techdirt. 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090116/0955383440.shtml>.

"Net Neutrality." The New York Times. 02 Dec. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. <http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/n/net_neutrality/index.html>.

Reardon, Marguerite. "Level 3: Comcast Is Strong-arming Us | Signal Strength - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. CBS Interactive, 03 Dec. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20024571-266.html>.

"RIAA - Who We Are." RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America - December 06, 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.riaa.com/aboutus.php>.

United States. Federal Communications Commissions. Implications of Comcast Decision on National Broadband Plan Implementation. By Austin Schlick. BroadBand.gov, 07 Apr. 2010. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. <http://blog.broadband.gov/?entryId=356610>.

Blackberry 8520 vs. Droid 2 vs. iPhone

Well, many of you already know that I am a cell phone enthusiastic. Over the past years I have had probably 30+ phones and do not plan on stopping anytime soon. While my cell phone fetish so to speak changes just about every month, but if I truly like the phone, every other month. I am a person who likes to see new technology evolve and I want the newest gadget.

I have had just about all the major top selling phones on the market including the iPhone for AT&T, Motorola i1 for Boost Mobile (I hate that it runs off the Sprint network because it has a lot of potential), Blackberry 8520 for T-mobile, and my favorite thus far, the Droid 2 from Verizon Wireless. I have had many carries and many different types of smartphones so I have an omni-directional scope of the pros and cons of both.

One of the greatest perks of the iPhone is the fact that it is very intuitive and was the first to hit the market. Apple forced all other cellular companies to bow at their feet until they were able to come up with a phone that would start to match their technology in the iPhone. I would say that when the iPhone first came out, I thought it was amazing due to the fact that it was referred to as the "Jesus Phone" and other names along those lines. In retrospect, it sort of was. It could do just about anything and everything but it had a major flaw, it was so proprietorial so that it was very difficult to get apps loaded into the market and it is even worse today.

When I had the iPhone which was twice (the 2G & the 3G), I really enjoy how the on screen typing was so streamlined and amazingly fast with suburb accuracy. When I had the Motorola i1 on the other hand, it was absolutely horrible trying to use the on screen keyboard. It was very inconsistent and it would add words that were not even remotely in the dictionary. This was a major flaw but it did have a feature that I had never seen in a phone before that I wish all phones had, Portal. Well, what is "Portal"? It basically provides you with access to text messaging and gallery via the Web. All you have to do is be on a Wifi network and start the Portal. It gives you a local IP address where you can log into and be able to text and see all your pictures instantaneously.

Even though I loved this feature enough to keep it for about 3 months, the negatives of the phone and Boost Mobile outweighed the positives. One of the flaws were that anytime I had sent a text message, it went though as urgent and there was no way to remove it. I had called customer service and they didn't know why it was happening and provided no solution. No matter when I had called them, I usually received horrible customer service. What the major flaw was though was that the reception was absolutely horrible. I had the Motorola i1 for a week while I also had the Blackberry 8520 with T-mobile. When I had put the phones side by side at almost any location, there would be 2-4 more bars on the Blackberry.

Now on to my favorite, the Droid dos. This phone is by far the coolest, fastest phone I have ever had. As soon as I opened it and had it running, I was able to open up 10 applications without any notice of it slowing down. I would switch between the free Navigation application which offers turn by turn directions for free, to other apps like Facebook, Droid Market, Youtube and several others. The 1 GHz processor is absolutely perfect for this phone. The QWERTY is phenomenal because each key is slightly raised and very nicely spaced apart even for my big fingers. Another amazing feature is that it is so heavily integrated with Google. I am able to use my Gmail, Google Contacts, Google Voice, Google Calendar, Google Web History and so many others. One thing I cannot leave out is the 3G on the phone. It is without a doubt amazingly faster than the Blackberry or any other phone I have ever had.

I would highly recommend someone having the Droid 2 over any other phone on the market right now. What will come next in the revolution of smartphones? Not many know but I am excited to find out.