At this very moment, the issue of net neutrality is being hotly debated by governments, independent organizations, and corporations. In my opinion, the issue of net neutrality is all about control. A small group of people have decided that they want to take control of the internet for their own selfish purposes. Multinational corporations like AT&T argue about the reasons why they should be given control over the net, but they are invalid.

The internet has historically been the ultimate example of a democracy. There is no censorship, and people are able to start businesses from the ground up, with very little capital. A good example of these success stories are Amazon, MySpace, and Ebay. If you are a webmaster, it is likely that you are making money from your online business. If the corporations win over the issue of net neutrality, your business may be in danger.

AT&T CEO Edward Whitacre has stated that “the internet belongs to him, and he should have control over the pipelines.” Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez has made a request to store search engine records, and online gambling has now been banned in the United States. These are clear signs that both governments and big corporations are attempting to control the internet. When I think about it, it is easy to see why they would want to do this.

Large corporations cannot compete against small businesses or freelance writers, programmers, web designers, animators, or accountants. How can they? Think about it. Who has more overhead, a fortune 500 company, or a freelance programmer working from home in his apartment? The internet has given us the power to start businesses without all the red tape you would have to go through to create a brick and mortar business. If the corporations win over the net neutrality dispute, this could be gone forever.

This is why it is important for webmasters to work together to maintain the neutrality of the internet. The good news about this is that we have the backing of large corporations like Amazon, Google, and even Microsoft. They are all fighting to maintain the neutrality of the internet. This is an issue that is of crucial importance. The Internet is not a trend, it will shape both the future and the destiny of mankind. It is a true free market, a place where anyone can make money if they have the faith, persistence, and talent. Vint Cerf, one of the fathers of the Internet, is also fighting for net neutrality.

The internet has remained neutral, and in my opinion, it should stay that way. There is no need for large corporations to turn it into the equivalent of cable television, and we don’t need Internet 2. The internet that exists now can continue to evolve into something that is much more advanced, yet free. If we allow the government and big corporations to take control of the net, it will die, and we will lose the ability to hold onto things we find valuable.