Last week, we introduced the Net Neutrality Issue. Legislation is pending in Congress that could impact the Internet as we know it.

According to some, telecommunication companies are trying to exert more control of the Internet and build their own private networks. Others are saying that the telecommunication companies are simply introducing more economic choices to the Internet marketplace.

Each side make convincing arguments on both sides of the issue. To help make sense of all this, I have listed the major groups that are pushing their side of the issue.

Below are links to the sites. I have included their opening statement on their web page along with some observations about each site. Net Neutrality is being looked from a bunch of different angles.

With football season upon us, it seems appropriate to do a “Team Line up�? of these different groups

After reading these points of view, feel free to drop us a line and give us your two cents. Enjoy reading the lineup.  read more »

Welcome to NaSPA’s IT Forum. In the August issue of Technical Support, NaSPA announced the launch of this forum. As Radi said in his August column - “..there isn’t a question for which an answer can’t be found on the Internet.� The recent explosion of blogs and social networks in cyberspace further prove this point. The challenge is that the answer we find may not always be the right answer. Forums like these might help.

Every once in a while an IT issue gets picked on the controversy radar and gets media attention. I have been noticing this with the “Net Neutrality� issue. Congress is working through telecommunications legislation that could have a lasting impact on the Internet World. We as systems professionals could be affected by this as well.

Summaries of Magazine Articles

Keep the Net Neutral - Scientific American (August 2006)

The editors of Scientific American have shown an interest in this public policy issue. They have a great summary. Their introduction spells out the Internet environment in its current form -  read more »