Changing Lanes

Since its inception, the Internet has had one hard-wired democratic principle--all traffic is created equal. Everything that you see and do online has relied upon the "neutrality" of the network to support an intellectual free market where individual choice and participation determine what works and what doesn't, what goes "viral" and what fades into obscurity. One would think that such a system would be the darling of professed free marketeers. Instead, big players in the telecommunications industries are trying to undo the democratic features that are built into the Internet in order to give preference to their own products.

This would take the form of a "fast lane" for those who can either pay for the privilege or who own the pipeline, and a "slow lane" for everyone else. What would this look like?
On demand full-screen video of episode 321 of Gilligan's Island--fast lane
Surgical consultation videoconference--slow lane
Election campaign attack ad--fast lane
Campaign contributor database--slow lane
Top 40 music video--fast lane
Indie music download site--slow lane
Cable news website--fast lane
North Country Public Radio website--slow lane

The debate over network neutrality is going on in Congress as we speak, with tens of millions of dollars going into the telecommunications lobbying effort. You can find a wide-ranging discussion of the issues and implications of net neutrality at Wikipedia. If you have an opinion on the future of the internet--now is the time is to share it with your legislators, your internet service provider, and your phone and cable companies.