Point/Counterpoint: Network neutrality nuances

A comparative study in favor and against of network neutrality has been done by Barbara Van Schewick and David Farber. Barbara feels that network neutrality and its rules as Internet access means access to everything the Internet has to offer, not to access to a selection of Internet applications and content approved by the ISP. ISP have access to sophisticated technology that enables them to block applications or content one does not like, or degrade their performance by slowing the delivery of corresponding data packets. Changes in technology have given network providers an unprecedented ability to control applications and content on their network and rules will help us protect it. However, David Farber believes that the growth and expansion of Internet into all corners of society have made a major part of global life. Network providers must work together with Internet's workings to voluntarily develop better information about Internet's overall health. The capacity constraints and hurdles, and the impact of variety of applications on network capacity, and congestion problems should also be considered.