Network Neutrality: A complex topic made simple

What is Network Neutrality'? At its core, the Net neutrality movement in the US refers to efforts to keep the Internet open, accessible and "neutral" to all users, application providers and network carriers.

In theory, this means, for example, that one carrier would not be allowed to discriminate against an application written by a third party by requiring its users to rely on the carrier's own proprietary voice applications. A carrier's walled-garden browser, which allows access to only certain Web sites, is also not seen as neutral by many neutrality proponents. The term Net neutrality is clearly politically laden. It isn't used that much by the Federal Communications Commission in its deliberations on the matter. Traditional carriers don't use the term that much either, since they often argue there is nothing wrong with the openness of the Internet, something Google and a variety of public interest groups dispute.