“With news this week about the nomination of Ajit Pai as the next chair of the FCC, much of the attention has focused on his stance on net neutrality and the likelihood the existing rules on net neutrality will be dismantled,” Jan Dawson writes for Tech.pinions. “However, net neutrality is a complex topic; even the definition of net neutrality is subject to widely differing interpretations. It’s worth breaking down exactly what’s likely to change and what isn’t at a Pai FCC.”
“The first challenge here is defining net neutrality. A very general definition would be it refers to treating all internet traffic equally. It sometimes seems as if some people really do believe net neutrality can only merit the name if it’s really that broad. But that would preclude any sort of network prioritization which puts time sensitive packets above non-time sensitive packets and would also preclude any sort of prioritization by user or content at times of congestion on the network. Most reasonable people seem to at least leave some leeway for sensible network management in order to improve the performance of services subject to delays, such as voice and video calling or live video streaming,” Dawson writes. “Beyond that, the consensus breaks down very quickly.”
“we’re unlikely to see an apocalyptic end to the internet as we know it, even if the FCC begins taking apart the present net neutrality regulations,” Dawson writes. “We will likely see more zero rating and similar programs which don’t prioritize or degrade traffic but merely apply different data pricing to it. If you object to that kind of thing as a breach of net neutrality, you’re likely to be upset but most consumers will be either blissfully unaware or happy about it.”
Much more in the full article – highly recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Arguing about so-called “net neutrality” is like arguing about the shape of fog. The lack of (a common) definition obviates rational discussion.
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