It is crucial to save Net Neutrality!

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"Net neutrality", this rather obscure term forms the essence of the net as we have come to know it. In the numerical realm of the net, net neutrality ensures free competition, innovation and fundamental liberties and rights. Until now net neutrality has been the default state of affairs - for technical as well as for economic reasons. However, net neutrality is under threat from network operators that see commercial opportunity in controlling the flow of information through their networks. It is crucial to grasp the opportunity offered by the third reading of the European Directive on the Telecoms Package to take measures to protect the freedom, openess and innovative space of the internet in the European Union.

What is net neutrality ?

When you send a package in the post the postal service doesn't open the package to take a look at the contents to find out who has sent the package, nor to ascertain by what route they would prefer to deliver it by. The role of the postal service is limited to delivering your package. The service can thereby considered to be neutral. The same applies to the internet: as long as there is no discrimination on the basis of the sender, recipient or content of the information being sent the internet can be said to be neutral - hence net neutrality. In this net operators don't get to decide which service, application or information is prioritised on the basis of the content. This principle forms the basis of the internet - a net in which no matter which operator is used world-wide - the same internet can be accessed from everywhere.