by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Editor

I pay $55 a month to receive high-speed Internet and basic cable from Charter Communications.

For $55 I gain access to a wealth of information available at my fingertips: a complete, unfiltered selection of Web sites including Hulu, Facebook, news sites and game sites.

I think it costs too much money, but it could be worse. Much worse.

Imagine you did not receive these sites at $55 a month. Imagine you paid extra for social networking, a bit more for gaming and additional for news services. Want to use Amazon.com? That’s an additional $5 per month.

This is a world without net neutrality, where companies could squeeze the most out of the consumer due to corporate greed.

The principle of net neutrality is about keeping the hands of several powerful network operators such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast off the Internet, preventing them from taking steps to change the basic open nature of the Net that has led to its success, according to the Open Internet Coalition.

The Federal Communication Commission is working to preserve net neutrality, allowing it to regulate Internet the same way it regulates radio.

The FCC would prevent companies from running wild with their pay to use the model.

The draft proposal would permit broadband Internet-access service providers to engage in reasonable network management, provided they don’t discriminate based on content or application, block customers from using competing services, and are transparent about how they manage their networks, according to pcmag.com.

Unfortunately, there are some ISPs and government officials who see the Internet as ripe for profit, and do not believe in net neutrality.

House Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced the Real Stimulus Act of 2009, which would prohibit the FCC from “needlessly imposing regulations on the Internet,” Blackburn said in a statement.

These “regulations” would prevent Blackburn from lining her pocket with lobbyist money, and prevent major communications companies from charging extra for content on the Internet.

Sen. John McCain also introduced a similar bill, improperly titled the Internet Freedom Act, which would strike down the proposed FCC regulations.

The Internet is a free staging ground for a number of activities, from activism and free speech to gaming and media. In America, we enjoy many of these without censorship.

If net neutrality were to be abolished, a distinct shift in tone would echo throughout the Internet. Corporations would gain control of Internet filters and show you what they want you to see.

Net neutrality critics see it as stifling innovation—if you call innovation overcharging customers for what they already receive as part of their service packages.

Support net neutrality and keep the Internet how it is. Don’t let corporations tell you what you can and cannot view.

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