In previous posts we have talked about net neutrality and how it affects our freedom on the internet. What does net neutrality mean to you if you use the internet to advertise, market or otherwise promote your business?

A quote from the Canadian site “Save Our Net” . . .

What is net neutrality?

…Put simply, net neutrality means non-discriminatory treatment of traffic. That is, outside of limited exceptions such as spam and known viruses, the companies that deliver information over the internet have treated all information the same, delivering each package of information as quickly and efficiently as possible (often referred to as the “best efforts” internet). Under this regime an internet user is free to use any equipment, content, application or service on a non-discriminatory basis without interference from the network provider. Network neutrality means that the network provider’s only job is to move data – not to choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

What if internet content was managed or controlled by the Internet Service Provider?

If you have a website for your company, anyone with internet access can visit your site and do business with you. It’s up to you to make it attractive, informational and have it show up in search engines. It’s also up to you to ensure that your prospects and customers receive value during that visit – value that keeps them coming back for more.

You invest money in developing an effective online strategic marketing tool. Hosting fees, SEO consulting fees, design and content management costs are examples. What is important here is your freedom to promote and market your business. This is enough of a challenge as it is on an open and neutral internet. The good news is that you can compete in the world market regardless of the size of your operation. Open competition is a good thing!

Without net neutrality your ability to market your business or generate revenue if you make use of e-commerce would be severely impacted or even eliminated. If your ISP controlled the content they distributed on their service they would make you pay additional fees for making your web site available. It wouldn’t show up in search engines unless you paid a fee. It wouldn’t be available on ‘their’ internet feed unless you paid for premium service. If your competitors paid more – they would have the edge. If your product or service competed with the products or services offered by the Internet Service Provider they could slow down or even stop traffic to your site.

Support your right to an open and neutral internet . . . Take Action!

Dean