In communications, via all kinds of media there is the sender and there is the receiver. Sometimes there is a third-party, the owner or supplier of the medium itself. Say two people use a company phone line, the phone connection is owned by and an asset of the company.

The internet is more that just a medium. The internet connects several media in the connecting computers and servers. The network supported by protocols accommodates people to create and share all kinds of content. The content can be accessed by everyone with an internet connection and a computer all around the world.

Now how are the internet and net neutrality related? The first paragraph describes the communication between people, the sender-receiver scenario. When the communication medium has an owner or supplier the scenario changes. As the owner or supplier of the medium controls the communication channel, this person can also influence the communication. When the internet connection is not manipulated, net neutrality is maintained.

In everyday life an internet connection is not like the air we breathe in and out. Internet connections are either wired or wireless and have specific conditions of their own. For the privilege of having a functional and satisfying internet connection the internet service provider is paid a fee for services and maintenance. The internet service provider is paid, the consumer enjoys the internet and both are satisfied.

What would happen if the internet service provider would actually manipulate the internet connection? Well the internet service provider could then monitor and censor what the consumer accesses, creates, shares and privacy issues arise. In the United States the issue of net neutrality is keeping civilians, consumers, politicians and internet service providers very busy.

Thing is, when the internet service providers are allowed to violate the principles of net neutrality in the United States, it can easily happen in Europe and other continents. Many producers and suppliers of internet services and software are from the United States. The importance of net neutrality extends further than my own words.

When the internet becomes subject to the whims of corporations, the open and accessible internet everyone knows will disappear. The day the internet turns into everything it is not, is not a day I want to witness…