Today, most consumers pay for open internet access through broadband providers. Without net neutrality, will consumers pay more to access specific types of content or tiers of sites? In the future, will consumers be able to buy broadband alone and at reasonable rates?
Perhaps there is an opportunity for more affordable broadband access. The free municipal wireless providers are promising, and have a built-in advertising stream that users see when they sign in. So there might be other consumer options down the road.
However, net neutrality is not about free internet access. According to Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, "If I pay to connect to the Net with a certain quality of service, and you pay to connect with that or greater quality of service, then we can communicate at that level."
More Net Neutrality Postings: The Internet Freedom Preservation Act Returns; The Neutrality Debate; Without Neutrality, What Happens to Search?
Introducing SES Online
Want to view one of the sessions you missed or listen to an especially informative presenter a second time? SES New York sessions are available for purchase on ClickZ Academy's new e-Learning site. SES is now Online!
