Network Neutrality: Avoiding a Net Loss

Robert Pepper, former at FCC in the USA and now with Cisco, writes in this article about enpowering the user, and arguments behind Cisco view on Network Neutrality.

Network Neutrality: Avoiding a Net Loss By Robert Pepper
TechNewsWorld
03/14/07 4:00 AM PT To average Internet users, the battle over network neutrality must seem quite confusing, if not downright opaque. They must wonder: What’s all the fuss about? After all, to this point, the Internet has been an unqualified success, adopted faster and used more creatively than almost any other technology in human history. For more than a year, the issue of network neutrality has taken up a tremendous amount of time and attention in both Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley. In fact, it may be the single most engrossing subject currently tying together policy interests in these two distinct parts of the country. Unfortunately, one key constituency often seems left out of this heated debate: the Internet consumer. This oversight is striking since it is end users who, each day, rely on the Internet to conduct their work and personal lives. What policies should be enacted to ensure their maximum choice and flexibility? Consumer empowerment is where the debate should begin – and end.