DANCING THE NET NEUTRALITY DEBATE
ON A WIRE
SUBTLETIES OF

B Y I A N LURI E
@ P O RT E N T I N T
FOUNDER, CEO,
P O RT E N T , I N C
W W W . P O R T E N T . C OM

THIS IS THE

INTERNET

NET NEUTRALITY
IS THE BELIEF THAT
ALL DATA ON THE INTERNET
SHOULD BE TREATED

EQUALLY.
Tim Wu, a Columbia Law professor,
coined the term back in 2003.

NET NEUTRALITY
NO MATTER THE
SOURCE, CONTENT OR
LOCATION

RIGHT NOW,
NET NEUTRALITY
RULES THE
INTERNET

BUT NET NEUTRALITY
IS JUST
A
AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT

BELIE
F
(not a law)

SOME WANT TO CHANGE THE
RULES AND END THE ERA OF
OF NET NEUTRALITY

ISPS COULD CHARGE SITE
OWNERS FOR
FASTER DOWNLOAD
TIMES
ISP = Internet Service Provider
The companies that bring the Internet into your home

THEN THOSE SITE
OWNERS WOULD
CHARGE YOU MORE TO
VIEW VIDEOS AND SUCH

THAT’S WHAT YOU HEAR ABOUT MOST:
SLOWER, MORE EXPENSIVE CONTENT

BUT THERE’S MORE

IT COULD ALSO MAKE LIFE MUCH,
MUCH HARDER FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT
THE END OF NET
NEUTRALITY
WOULD ALLOW ISPs TO
CHARGE HIGHER FEES FOR
SITES THEY DON’T LIKE

CENSORSHIP
THE END OF NET NEUTRALITY
WOULD ALLOW ISPs TO
BLOCK IDEAS THEY DON’T
LIKE

SERVICE
ON THE OTHER HAND,
HIGHER PROFITS
COULD EQUAL BETTER
SERVICE

DIGITAL DIVIDE
ON THE OTHER HAND,
HIGHER PROFITS COULD
MEAN BETTER ACCESS IN
UNDERSERVED AREAS

DIGITAL DIVIDE
ON THE OTHER HAND,
HIGHER PROFITS COULD
MEAN BETTER ACCESS IN
UNDERSERVED AREAS
OR EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE

MY POINT
I HAVEN’T COVERED ALL THE
ISSUES. OR COMPLETELY
COVERED THE ONES I
DISCUSS.

MY POINT
IS THAT THERE’S MORE TO THIS
THAN VIDEO DOWNLOAD SPEED.

MY POINT
IS THAT THERE’S MORE TO THIS
THAN VIDEO DOWNLOAD SPEED.
I’VE TRIED TO PRESENT SOME
ARGUMENTS FROM BOTH SIDES.

I’D LOVE IT
IF YOU WENT OUT AND
SUPPORTED NET NEUTRALITY

BUT AT LEAST THINK ABOUT IT.
ALL OF THE ISSUES. THE GOOD
AND BAD.

AND THEN MADE YOUR OWN

THANKS

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Created by Ian Lurie, CEO & Founder of Portent, Inc.
Find him @portentint
Find his company at www.portent.com
Views contained in this presentation are those of Ian Lurie,
not of Portent, Inc.