Net Neutrality

By Mahima R., SYBA

One question: How much do you know as on how you reached this post on whatever device you’re currently peekaboo-ing? Chances are, you have no clue about the hurricane that’s going to hit you no later than the end of this new year, because you probably have nowhere from where that wind is coming. Let us clear the air for you. X)

This piece of writing that you’re reading now was in it’s infancy jotted on a piece of paper by my not-so-comprehensible handwriting, then I sent an email to the team. Now what actually happens in between is our notable importance.

When I clicked the ‘send’ button on the email window, my message was converted into packets of information that flew to the router (a small plastic box with flashing lights and one hell of a circuit within) in my house from where, via wires it reached to an important computer. Call this the Internet Service Provider id est, the ISP. Now this computer is connected using many wires and routers to one big wire which in turn is connected to many, many servers (computers which have the information when need) and many other ISPs so as to connect all computers, more generally, all electronic devices to that one wire, the Internet.

See the catch? We, the users or the subscribers, are not directly connected to the information highway, the Internet, we’re connected via the ISPs. 

Now up till very recently, since about 2005, these ISPs were NOT allowed to interfere or manipulate the route of these data packets received or sent by us, the users or the subscribers. This abstention is what exactly is NET NEUTRALITY. Now this was first coined by professor Tim Wu, more about that later.

To give you a small idea, here’s an example.

SIFY, VSNL, Reliance are a few ISPs in India. According to the net neutrality rules, SIFY is not allowed to slow down access to Reliance’s VSNL's website just so subscribers would get wary of it. 

And they would get wary, right? Everyone needs speed. Similarly, servers like Netflix, Facebook, et cetera, can’t pay these ISPs to have their content delivered quickly. Makes sense?

The proto-rules were set out in 2005 by the then FCC ( Federal Communications Commission ) chairman, Kevin Martin.

What on Earth is FCC? We gotcha.

This commission was found in 1934, when humans knew nada about the Internet, and it is an independent agency of the United States government. The purpose of this organization is to regulate interstate communications by any source of communication like radio, television, the Internet.

Post the formation of these proto-rules a lot of  reformations happened in the way we used the Internet and what was used on the Internet,  subsequently followed by a lot reformations in the regulations set out by the FCC and their enforcement.

It’s intriguing to see how each of the four main aspects: the government, the ISPs, the FCC and the consumers; react and take the measures to turn tables to their side.

The biggest question here is ' Are you into the bandwagon? ' Well if you’re not, hop on. And we’ll give you some good reasons to.

- Dhruvee C., FYBA