Question: What exactly is Net Neutrality, and how does it affect me or my business?

Answer: The concept of Net Neutrality is that all information that travels across the Internet, whether it’s streaming video, e-mail messages or a brochure on your company’s website, should be treated equally.

No information gets priority over any other information when the network is neutral. and when I refer to the “network,” it really refers to your Internet Service Provider.

At the moment, ISPs can’t strike special deals to allow certain Web services to have a faster lane via the Internet to your home or business. If a proposal by the FCC is adopted, this could all change.

The FCC is proclaiming that it will keep the Internet “open” by not allowing ISPs to block or slow access to any Web services, but the proposed change would allow ISPs to charge content providers for what is being called “paid prioritization.”

Although no one would be forced to pay the priority fees, it certainly would tip the playing field to those with the ability to pay.

It doesn’t take much imagination to see how this “tiered” approach to content could squeeze the little guys out and slowly change the Internet to look more like cable or satellite TV offerings.

If these new rules were in place years ago, companies such as Netflix, Hulu or any number of other startups could have been disadvantaged because they likely wouldn’t have been able to afford the priority fees when they were just getting started.

The neutral Internet has fostered amazing new companies that came out of nowhere. Many are speculating that this change would stifle innovation and give large content providers an unfair advantage.

To be fair, large content providers such as Netflix do put a big strain on an ISP’s resources because streaming video requires a lot more bandwidth than e-mail or basic Web surfing.

A recent study suggests that Netflix accounts for 30 percent of Internet Web traffic into homes during peak evening viewing hours and YouTube accounts for an additional 11 percent.

In the ISPs’ minds, content providers that chew up more of their bandwidth should pay a priority access fee to help pay for increased infrastructure, but that being said, the last time I looked, these companies are very profitable using the current rules.

All ISPs are not the same when it comes to the ability to deliver streaming video, and both Netflix (ispspeedindex.netflix.com/usa) and Google (www.google.com/get/videoqualityreport) have created resources that allow you to see how well the ISPs in your area are doing.

So why are they trying to fix something that many feel isn’t broken?

Look no further than the players in this typical Washington, D.C., game: Michael Powell, the former FCC chairman, is now the head of the powerful National Cable & Telecommunications Association lobbying group. The former head of the NCTA is now the FCC chairman. The two have essentially swapped seats, which leads to many questions about motivations and allegiances.

If you want to be heard, the FCC is asking for public comments on these proposed changes at www.fcc.gov/comments. Click on Proceeding #14-28. You can also learn more or use a less complicated method of submitting your comments via the SaveTheInternet.com website.

Ken Colburn is founder/CEO of Data Doctors. Send him questions at AzCentral@ DataDoctors.com.

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