Andrew Allan

Neutality is key for the little guy.

Net Neutrality is essential to free speech, equal opportunity and economic innovation in America. Since the FCC removed this basic protection in 2005, the top executives of phone and cable companies have stated their intention to become the Internet's gatekeepers and to discriminate against Web sites that don't pay their added tolls.

This fundamental change would end the open Internet as we know it. It would damage my ability to connect with others, share information and participate in our 21st century democracy and economy. The FCC must ensure that broadband providers do not block, interfere with or discriminate against any lawful Internet traffic based on its ownership, source or destination.

I am an aspiring successful businessman. The ability to use the internet to its full potential, seeing and using all available resources as I deem fit, and to not be bound or therefore restricted in any way is an essential priority in my own success as well as many others like myself. Any biased choosing and/or interfering over what an individual can view, send and receive seems to me as an infraction on the First Amendment.

I can only dread the day George Orwell's fantasy interpretation of the future begins to hold precedence. Without Net Neutrality, the prologue to the classic story is certain to fester. What separates us from many third-world countries is the free access to all forms of information equally. We should not impead on this freedom in anyway. Capitalism allows for the "gatekeeper" companies to charge for the use of their lines already; we should not further hinder the public access by making any one source "better" than another as seen fit by those influenced and biased by financial gains.

We live in the Age of Information and being so, it is the freedom of that information we should protect most; not any one person nor companies' silver lining.