The debate about net neutrality continues to gather momentum. The FCC watered down approach to permit “commercial reasonable” deals will see the start (albeit constrained) two lane internet. The ability to degrade one service to provide a premium service to others is going to undermine one of the primary foundation stones of the internet – openness.

Whilst the above is a US debate and time will tell how it pans out, the fact remains that once we allow an end to net neutrality no matter how small the “right” is – we will see a change to the way the internet operates. Lawyers will no doubt argue over what constitutes “commercially reasonable” but the damage will be done.

The internet should be open and built on a fair and equal basis. Time is running out but hopefully the FCC and consequently other governments will recognize the importance of net neutrality and end any discretion.