International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064

Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438

Net Neutrality-A Concept of Open Internet

Depavath Harinath
Lecturer in Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, HRD Degree and PG College,
Affiliated to Osmania University, Narayanaguda, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Abstract: The Internet is a global, interconnected and decentralised autonomous computer network. The idea of an open Internet is
the idea that the full resources of the Internet and means to operate on it are easily accessible to all individuals and companies. This
often includes ideas such as net neutrality, open standards, transparency, lack of Internet censorship, and low barriers to entry. Net
neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally, not
discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of
communication. This paper illustrates about Net neutrality and its related issues.
Keywords: Net Neutrality, Open Internet, Internet Protocol

1. Introduction
The Internet is a global, interconnected and decentralised
autonomous computer network. We can access the internet
via connections provided by Internet access providers. These
access providers transmit the information that we send over
the Internet in so called data packets. The success of the
Internet I based on two simple but crucial components of its
architecture: (a) Every connected device can connect to every
other connected device. (b) All services use the Internet
Protocol, which is sufficiently flexible and simple to carry
all types of content (video, e-mail, messaging etc).

Some broadband Internet providers like Verizon, AT&T, and

Comcast want to try charging content providers like Google
for sending information to consumers over their lines. They
have also suggested creating special Internet fast lanes for
particular sites with high-bandwidth needs, such as streaming
video, movies and the like. Critics fret that this could be the
end of the Internet as we know it. Proponents say that it may
help fund infrastructure expansion and promote new
innovation by ensuring delivery for time-sensitive and
quality-sensitive services.
Net neutrality has no widely accepted precise definition, but
usually means that broadband service providers charge
consumers only once for Internet access, do not favor one
content provider over another, and do not charge content
providers for sending information over broadband lines to
end users.
In other words, net neutrality is actually a friendlysounding name for price regulation. We fear that such
regulation could substantially reduce investment incentives,
distort innovation, and ultimately harm consumers. The
government must weigh policy choices carefully.

Figure (a) illustrates Open neutral access model

Net Neutrality is the most commonly defined as the principle
that Internet users can connect to any other point in the
network. Users can create, access, and use any content,
service and application they choose, without discrimination,
restriction or limitation imposed by those who run the
infrastructure.

Figure (b) illustrates Non-neutrality access model

Paper ID: SUB156685

2. Issues
Access to the Internet remains an increasingly important
resource to individuals, as both consumers and citizens. As
consumers, individuals gain access to digital content such as
music, films, e-books, games, and any number of goods and
services through e-commerce. As citizens, individual gain the
ability to both access and create conduits for discourse,
debate, and creativity. The wealth of information available,
and the variety of applications that consumers can use to
communicate, allow for an unprecedented freedom of
expression and information. To access these resources,
consumers rely upon Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which
provide end-users access to the Internet. Because many ISPs
are vertically integrated with owners of basic
communications infrastructure, they have the technical ability
to act as gatekeepers, blocking or degrading consumers
access to certain content and applications, or limiting the
types of equipment that can be attached to the network. Such
behavior can severely limit the usefulness of the Internet and

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International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
frustrate consumers aims.
Such limitations on access are not merely theoretical. In the
United States, Madison River Communications, a
telecommunications company and ISP, blocked customers
from using Voice over IP (VoIP) services, which would
compete with its own telephony services. Comcast, a major
ISP which also provides television programming through its
cable television service, sent false data along its network to
prevent its customers from using a wide range of popular
protocols and applications, including P2P application widely
used for online distribution of legal movies, television
programs, and open source software. A Canadian ISP, Telus,
prevented its users from reaching the website of a labor union
that represented the companys striking employees. Around
the world, additional examples abound of ISPs blocking
content either to disadvantage competition or limit access to
dissenting political views. Such incidents demonstrate the
skewed incentives that result when a network access provider
also has a stake in the content and applications accessed by
its customers. When the provide can selectively control
access, it may select against speech or services that it
perceives as harmful to its self-interests. This may include
content, applications, or devices that compete with the
providers own interests; or content that the provider
disfavors, such as criticism of the provider itself.
These issues are exacerbated when a
prevents users from migrating away
providers, as well as when customers
information necessary to discover
practices.

lack of competition
from discriminatory
lack the ability and
any discriminatory

3. The Three Main Reasons

Neutrality is Violated

Why

Net

There are many reasons why Net Neutrality is been violated,

the most frequent ones are as follows:
(a) Access providers violate Net Neutrality to optimize
profits
Some Internet access providers demand the right to block or
slow down Internet traffic for their own commercial benefit.
Internet access providers are not only in control of Internet
connections, they also increasingly start to provide content,
services and applications. They are increasingly looking for
the power to become the gatekeepers of the Internet. For
example the Dutch telecoms access provider KPN tried to
make their customers use KPNs own text-messaging service
instead of web-based chat services by blocking these free
services. Another notable example of discrimination is TMobiles blocking of Internet telephony services (Voice over
IP, or VoIP in short), provided for example by Skype,
inorder to give priority to their own and their business
partners services.
(b) Access providers violate Net Neutrality
Blocking measures by access providers have frequently been
misused to block unwanted content. The private company
providers access to the internet and increasingly uses Deep
Packet Inspection. Deep Packet Inspection(DPI)

Paper ID: SUB156685

Information that we send and receive through the network is

called as packets, with envelopes indicating sender and
receiver. Unlike normal network equipment, DPI looks not
just at the envelopes but into packet contents, and can be
used to disrupt or block certain packets based on what they
contain. DPI can be used for innocuous reasons (to fight
spam o viruses), but also to carry out surveillance or to
censor information as this technology makes it possible to
capture information from network traffic and assess it in real
time. Therefore private companies police their users
connections to block access to certain websites so that, the
users cant access the data from another website, which is
violation of Net Neutrality.
(c) Access Providers violate Net Neutrality to comply with
the law
Governments are increasingly asking access and service
providers to restrict certain types of traffic, to filter and
monitor the Internet to enforce the law, and at the same time
demanding that they do not use this technology for their own
business purposes.. This is done for reasons as varied as
protecting national gambling monopolies and implementing
demonstrably ineffective efforts to protect copyright.

4. The Goal of Net Neutrality

Inorder to ensure that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and
communications networks do not unfairly limit the
applications and information available to consumers. Net
Neutrality is a state in which users have the freedom to
access the content, services, applications, and devices of their
choice.
a) In a neutral Internet, consumers
have the right to attach devices of their choice;
have the right to access or provide content, services, and
applications of their choice;
have the right for their access to be free from
discrimination according to source, destination, content, or
application.
b) In a neutral Internet, ISPs and communications network
do not unfairly block content, applications or devices;
do not deliberately degrade access for content,
applications, or devices;
do not prioritize data according to its source or destination;
do not discriminate against particular providers of content,
applications, services, or devices.

5. Net Neutrality Principles

(a)Ensure Neutrality on All Public Networks: Neutrality is
an essential characteristic of public broadband Internet
access. The principles that follow must apply to all
broadband providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
who provide service to the general public, regardless of
underlying transmission technology (e.g., wireline or
wireless) and regardless of local market conditions.
(b)Prohibit Blocking: ISPs and public broadband providers
should not be permitted to block access to legal web sites,
resources, applications, or Internet-based services.

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International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
(c)Protect Against Unreasonable Discrimination: Every
person should be able to access legal content, applications,
and services over the Internet, without unreasonable
discrimination by the owners and operators of public
broadband networks and ISPs. This will ensure that ISPs do
not give favorable transmission to their affiliated content
providers or discriminate against particular Internet services
based on the identity of the user, the content of the
information, or the type of service being provided.

(k) Maintain the Status Quo on Private Networks:

Owners and operators of private networks that are not openly
available to the general public should continue to operate
according to the long-standing principle and practice that
private networks are not subject to regulation. End users
(such as households, companies, coffee shops, schools, or
libraries) should be free to decide how they use the
broadband services they obtain from network operators and
ISPs.

(d) Prohibit Paid Prioritization: Public broadband

providers and ISPs should not be permitted to sell prioritized
transmission to certain content, applications, and service
providers over other Internet traffic sharing the same network
facilities. Prioritizing certain Internet traffic inherently
disadvantages other content, applications, and service
providersincluding those from higher education and
libraries that serve vital public interests.

6. Benefits of Achieving Net Neutrality

(e)Prevent Degradation: Public broadband providers and

ISPs should not be permitted to degrade the transmission of
Internet content, applications, or service providers, either
intentionally or by failing to invest in adequate broadband
capacity to accommodate reasonable traffic growth.
(f)Enable Reasonable Network Management: Public
broadband network operators and ISPs should be able to
engage in reasonable network management to address issues
such as congestion, viruses, and spam as long as such actions
are consistent with these principles. Policies and procedures
should ensure that legal network traffic is managed in a
content-neutral manner.
(g)Provide Transparency: Public broadband network
operators and ISPs should disclose network management
practices publicly and in a manner that- (1) allows users as
well as content, application, and service providers to make
informed choices; and (2) allows policy-makers to determine
whether the practices are consistent with these network
neutrality principles. This rule does not require disclosure of
essential proprietary information or information that
jeopardizes network security.
(h) Continue Capacity-Based Pricing of Broadband
Internet Access Connections: Public broadband providers
and ISPs may continue to charge consumers and content,
application, and service providers for their broadband
connections to the Internet, and may receive greater
compensation for greater capacity chosen by the consumer or
content, application, and service provider.
(i)Adopt Enforceable Policies: Policies and rules to enforce
these principles should be clearly stated and transparent. Any
public broadband provider or ISP that is found to have
violated these policies or rules should be subject to penalties,
after being adjudicated on a case-by-case basis.
(j)Accommodate
Public
Safety:
Reasonable
accommodations to these principles can be made based on
evidence that such accommodations are necessary for public
safety, health, law enforcement, national security, or
emergency situations.
Paper ID: SUB156685

(a) No discrimination: Net neutrality is the principle that all

types of content and all senders and recipients of information
are treated equally. This principle upholds the right of
freedom of expression. The freedom to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas of all kinds. Without Net
Neutrality, Internet access providers would become
gatekeepers of the access to content on the Internet, with the
power to decide what we can read and write and whom we
are allowed to communicate.
(b) Free Expression: The history of Internet shows very
clearly that Net Neutrality encourages creative expression.
The ability to publish content and to express opinions online
does not depend on financial or social status and is not
restricted to an elite. There is a huge trend towards people
sharing information and expenses online. This means that
individuals, small businesses, traditional news sources and
large businesses can all create content that is available to
everybody. Net Neutrality enables information to travel
through the network without being restricted or blocked,
thereby enabling a vibrant digital environment, full of ideas
and innovation.
(c)Privacy: Measures to undermine Net Neutrality can have
a direct impact on our privacy. For example- The private
company providers access to the internet and increasingly
uses Deep Packet Inspection(DPI) and police their users
connections to block access to certain websites so that, the
users cant access the data from another website, which is
violation of Net Neutrality.
(d) Access to Information: Net Neutrality is also the
catalyst for the creation of diverse and abundant online
content. Non-profit projects like Wikipedia, blogs and usergenerated content in general have the same conditions to
access and publish information as large, commercial Internet
players. Without Net Neutrality, we would have a two-tier
internet where only those who can pay would be able to
access information or get content delivered faster than others.
(e) Democratic Process: Net Neutrality improves the quality
of democracy by ensuring that the Internet remains an open
forum in which all voices are treated equally. It ensures that
the ability to voice opinions and place content online does
not depend on ones financial capacity or social status. It is
therefore a powerful tool in facilitating democracy, enabling
diverse ideas to be expressed and heard.

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International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
(f) Tool against censorship: Without Net Neutrality,
network operators can block or throttle not only services, but
also content. The fundamental shift in information
communications technologies over the last 10 years has
facilitated revolutions and it offers the possibility of greater
social reforms through greater transparency and the free flow
of information.
(g) Consumer choice: Net Neutrality ensures access to
content and offers greater consumer choice by allowing more
players to enter the marketplace. Therefore, the amount of
online information is vast and growing, leading to intellectual
and cultural interaction that was scarcely imaginable twenty
years ago. Without a neutral net, access providers can
prioritise applications or services, thereby creating walled
gardens in which consumer choice is limited.
(h) Innovation and Competition: Net Neutrality continues
to foster innovation, as individuals and companies alike can
create content and provide new services with the online
world as their audience. Any individual can upload content at
relatively little cost. An unrestricted Internet gives market
access to small and medium enterprises to small and medium
enterprises or start-ups that might not otherwise have a
competitive edge against larger corporations. Without Net
Neutrality however, access providers are allowed to restrict
access needed by innovators that seek to develop online
services. Innovators would have a smaller and less
predictable marketplace for their services.
(i) Digital Signal Market: Net Neutrality is a cornerstone
for the completion of the Digital Signal Market. It removes
barriers and allow users freely communicate, fully express
themselves, access information and participate in the public
debate- without unnecessary interference by gatekeepers or
middlemen. By contrast, a non-neutral internet contributes to
the fragmentation of the Digital Signal Market.
(j) Protecting a global Internet: As soon as access
providers start making use of traffic discrimination tools
interfere in global communications for their own commercial
benefit, governments will be tempted to use the technology
for public policy goals. In fact, governments are more and
more often asking providers to restrict certain types to traffic,
and to filter and monitor the Internet to enforce the law.

7. The Following are the Points to Safeguard

Net Neutrality
a) The Internet must be kept neutral and open.
b) Accessibility between all endpoints connected to the
Internet without any form of restriction must continue to be
upheld.
c) All forms of discriminatory traffic management, such as
blocking or throttling should be prohibited, unless as part
of objectively necessary traffic management measures.
d) Traffic management should only be allowed as a narrowly
targeted deviation from the rule. It must be either
necessary, proportionate and legally required, or required
to address a transient network management problem which
cannot be dealt with otherwise.

Paper ID: SUB156685

e) Legal clarity must be established to determine what types

of traffic management are legitimate under which
circumstances.
f) Access providers have to indicate in their contracts and
advertisements a guaranteed minimum bandwidth,
maximum latency and quality measures for the connection.
g) We need to establish a clear set of obligations for access
providers regarding the neutrality and best effort of the
Internet broadband services on the one hand, and for
specialized services that are not transported via the Internet
on the other.
h) By default, only header information should be used for
traffic management. The use of Deep Packet
Inspection(DPI) should be reviewed by national Data
Protection Authorities.
i) End-users should be able to report violations of the points
above to an authority defined by the government. This
authority must have the necessary resources to enforce the
above conditions.

8. Conclusion
Net Neutrality is the principle that every point on the network
can connect to any other point on the network, without
discrimination on the basis of origin, destination, or type of
data. This principle is the central reason for the success of the
Internet. Net Neutrality is crucial for innovation, competition
and for the free flow of information. Most importantly, Net
Neutrality gives the Internet its ability to generate new means
of exercising civil rights such as the freedom of expression
and the right to receive and impart information.
Restricting the access to the Internet wont encourage
innovations and due to lack of competition the standard of
the Internet will come down. Hence, we need the Open
Internet to foster job growth, competition and innovation.
Competition leads to innovation which intern leads in quality
of service.
Therefore Internet Service Providers and governments should
treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or
charging differentially by user, site, platform, application,
type of attached equipment, or mode of communication

9. Acknowledgement
I would like to gratefully and sincerely thank my parents father D.Chatur Naik and mother D.Ghammi Bai without
whose unsustained support, I could not have completed this
paper.

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International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
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Author Profile
Depavath Harinath, received the Bachelor of Science
degree in computerscience from New Noble Degree
college,
Affiliated
to
Osmania
University,
Hyderabad,Telangana, India in 2008 and received
Master of Computer Applications degree from
Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology, an autonomous
institution approved by UGC. Accredited by NAAC with A grade
and accredited by NBA, AICTE, New Delhi - Permanently
Affiliated to JNTU, Ghatkesar, Ranga Reddy, Hyderabad,
Telangana., India in 2012. Now working as Lecturer in Computer
Science in HRD Degree and PG college, Affiliated to Osmania
University, Narayanaguda, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Having
three years of experience in teaching and already published four
manuscripts in different international journals. My research
Interests are Computer Networks and Network Security.

Paper ID: SUB156685

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