Net neutrality discussion

[Dominic]

I have removed the link you posted because we get a lot of spam from that site.

With regards to net neutrality, given that you had to start this thread yourself, I would hardly think it fair to say people are over-reacting.

[trevnhil]

It is all a bit beyond me..

[J B]

It's all a bit beyond me ...

[Varky]

Will someone please post an idiot's guide on the subject of net neutrality so that we can all see what the problem is?

[Dominic]

Imagine a shopping mall, shaped in a circle, with the entrance in the middle. You arrive by elevator. Once there, you can wander around to whatever shop takes your fancy.

That would be net neutrality.

Now imagine the same shopping centre, only this time it's winter, and some of the shops have really slippery floors in front of them, making it more difficult to get to them. However, some shops paid extra to have people put salt in front of their shops, and you can still get to them.

That would still be net neutrality. There is no harm in taking steps to look after you own business.

Now imagine the same shopping centre, but this time, the Mall owners say that unless the shops give them money, they will pour glue on the ground. Customers will be more likely to visit the shops who pay, because they can get to them more easily. The shops who can afford it are happy to pay the extra, because they get more sales as a result.

Also, the mall owners aren't to fond about a couple of shops, because they are critical of the politicians the owners of the mall support, so they make a point of putting lots of glue outside their doors.

And so it goes on...

Not only that, but search rankings will be affected too. These are a black art at the best of times, but google does take into account how quickly your site loads when it determines ranking positions.

[Varky]

OK so far so good but in internet terms what form would the glue take?

[ApusApus]

OK so far so good but in internet terms what form would the glue take?

And what effect does it have on the average internet user, ie. like me?


Shane

[Dominic]

Potentially, some sites would load more quickly than others.

This happens already, but at the moment it is due to the site design, location of the server etc.

Now, there is a big knock-on effect of this when it comes to searching. Google et al put some weight on the loading speed of a site, so faster sites appear nearer the top of the results.

HOWEVER

Given, as I already stated, other factors determine site load speed, you could argue that net neutrality doesn't in fact exist. Big companies can stick their sites on nice fast servers on good connections, and can already get a speed bump. So is it all a bit of fuss over nothing?

Time will tell...