By Adrian “Heather” Green

COMM 302-7981

Dec-12-2014

Without net neutrality, information will be shaped to serve political agendas and undermine the world's

ability to communicate, receive and grasp information on our own. It will take away our freedom of speech.

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.

Net neutrality is an internet that is open and protects free speech.

Pros:

-Keeps the internet open and allows individuals to freely roam, read and speak on sites of their own choice.

-Run applications, software and use services of your choice.

-Enables all users to have a fair share of the internet.

-No restrictions.

Charges for websites, channels and broadband access.

Fees to stream videos and download music, etc. or slower internet service.

Cable and phone companies will charge internet providers, which will make internet services more expensive.

Connection will be slow unless you pay and connect to your service providers required connections.

Independent voices and political groups will be vulnerable.

Personal voices, opinions and bloggers could be silenced.

Freedom of the Press – New channels and sources could be blocked or slowed down, limiting access to media.

Fair Elections – Censorship and influence from particular candidates and political parties.

Freedom of Association – Different regions and parts of the world will cater to different messaging services, limiting who and how often you chat with others in certain areas.

Freedom of Business – Online based businesses will greatly suffer with their businesses, how they operate them and how customers use them.

Freedom of Choice – Your internet service provider will have exclusive contracts and deals with other companies, forcing you to shop online at those places or your service elsewhere will be so slow, you won’t be able to shop.

Freedom of Speech – There will no longer be open speakers, bloggers, ideas, opinions and markets online. All individual freedom and choices will be stripped and users will be forced to use only what is available.

America was founded and formed on the basis of freedom of speech, amongst many other freedoms we are fortunate to have in this country. We are a country

that prides ourselves on the “Land of the Free.” Net Neutrality will strip us of this freedom and will

monopolize our speech, our choices and our options in our daily lives. Net Neutrality is greatly needed to

keep our country united and standing on the foundations in which our country was made.

Save the Internet Project. (2014). Net neutrality. Retrieved from http://www.savetheinternet.com/net- neutrality

Free Press. (2014). Net Neutrality's Impact on Free Speech. Retrieved from

http://www.freepress.net/blog/2014/06/23/net-neutralitys-impact-free-speech

Lyons, Daniel A. (2011). Virtual takings: the coming Fifth Amendment challenge to net neutrality regulation. Notre Dame Law Review. Feb, 2011, Vol. 86 Issue 1, p65,

54 p. http://www.umuc.edu/library/index.cfm#databases

Guo, H., Bandyopadhyay, S., Cheng, H., & Yang, Y. (n.d.). Net Neutrality and Vertical Integration of

Content and Broadband Services. Journal of Management Information Systems, 243-276.

Joch, A. (n.d.). Debating net neutrality. Communications of the ACM, 14-14.

5 Freedoms You'll Lose Without Net Neutrality. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2014.

My assignment NetNeutralityPresentation.AHGreen is original work and was not written in whole or in part for another course at the University of Maryland University College or at another institution of higher learning.

Signed: Adrian Heather Green

Date(s): December 7, 2014 5:49pm EST