What is Net Neutrality?

Communication, information and entertainment are now just a click away, thanks to the Internet! If there is one invention in the last century which has affected the way we live, socialize, spend our time, earn money, shop, communicate, entertain ourselves, seek information, learn about things, etc., it has to be the Internet. The popularity of the Internet is rising above all the other forms of media, primarily due to the fact that it can be accessed by anybody, anytime. There are absolutely no restrictions whatsoever on the kind of content one can access through the Internet. This democratic nature as well as freedom of the Internet is called net neutrality i.e. no Internet censorship. So is net neutrality good or bad? Let's find out by getting into the pros and cons.

Definition
Net neutrality is a concept which prohibits any kind of discrimination with regards to both transmission of content by the Internet Service providers as well as access to content by the Internet users. In short, the Internet service providers cannot block any website or content from the users, on any ground. The same rule applies to online service providers as well as search engines as well, who cannot block any competitor's website, just to increase their traffic.

Pros
As net neutrality is all about Internet freedom, it is very advantageous to the Internet users. Since none of the Internet service providers can interfere with what a user is accessing, the user can opt for any of the Internet service provider companies, solely on the basis of the quality of service they provide. The Internet companies thus, are competing against each other to meet the customer expectations. This ensures that they offer their best services to the consumers. Another advantage is that no one company or website dominates the market, increasing a lot of competition among these, which will ultimately benefit the Internet user.

Cons
If net neutrality is curbed by a regulation, the biggest disadvantage would be that the Internet service providers or the government will regulate and restrict the content accessed, content added as well as applications used by the consumers. This will reduce the options for the Internet users with regards to the content and information, read as well as added to, on the Internet. The Internet became so popular in the first place because of the freedom of Internet access by anybody. These regulations are in a way contrary to this very fact!

Internet Safety
Speaking of the pros and cons of Internet regulation, these restrictions have one benefit i.e. Internet safety. Illegal activities on the Internet such as pornography, financial frauds, credit card thefts, phishing can be curbed if there are some laws and regulations with regards to the kind of content one can have access to.

Net neutrality and its pros and cons, should be discussed, before any resolution is passed by the government to restrict Internet access. People against such restrictions argue that they can lead to loss of Internet privacy. According to them, Internet service providers will not resort to blocking their competitor's content and so there is no point in having these restrictions. Those for the restrictions argue that these can provide better Internet security, by putting an end to the online thefts and frauds. Thus, the ultimate decision on net neutrality should be taken keeping both these views in mind!