Net neutrality is the concept of preserving the system we have in place now: we pay a certain fee and obtain access, which is mostly unrestricted, to the internet. This principle is under question because of growing cell phone usage. Some internet providers want to discriminate between users and allow some traffic a higher priority than others.
In April, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the FCC didn't provide enough convincing evidence for its authority to enforce net neutrality. Several Congress members have tried to sponsor bills in favor of net neutrality as well, but none have succeeded. The FCC has also attempted to conduct meetings with big internet service providers in the interests of working out a solution, but the talks failed to reach a compromise.
Ultimately, this could affect online business and innovation as the internet would become more like cable television. Businesses would have to purchase agreements with internet providers to ensure that their content is easily downloadable. Smaller, growing websites could have issues with development since this policy would favor already established sites. Because it is an issue that has only surfaced recently, this is a new area of First Amendment rights that has yet to be decided upon.
For more information, visit: http://business2press.com/2010/09/16/how-internet-neutrality-affects-online-innovation-and-business/
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