There's a story, probably apocryphal, that the automatic exchange was invented because a telephone operator favoured one business (her husbands') at the expense of another (the inventor's), misdirecting calls for the latter to the former. The new automatic exchange, the story continues, wouldn't have such bias.
That is the essence of network neutrality.
Should telephone operators — or, today, network operators — preferentially connect callers to their partners, or, more generally, to the highest bidder? Or should they be required to treat all numbers equally?
(Of course, the harder problem is how exactly to mandate such a requirement; are existing laws enough, or do we need new laws? If new laws, what should they say? If existing laws, how should the FCC enforce them? The basic concepts, though, are basic.)
⇦ Buckywell fusion | ⇨ Formula editor frustration |
