Grande Mesa

SAN ANTONIO - Washington legislators today hear testimony on proposed legislation that will make “Net neutrality” law.

According to Google’s “Guide to Net Neutrality”: “Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet.

“The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days… Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online.”

At issue for opponents of the bill (Internet providers such as AT&T and Comcast) is the ability to scale rates based on usage. Phone and cable companies want to offer at type of VIP service that would suck access away from those without the service.

Proponents of the bill argue that everyone should have equal access at all times to the Internet’s resources.

The bill comes on the heels of Comcast’s admission that it delayed (still delays?) file sharing traffic as a way to keep other types of traffic such as Web traffic flowing.