Assignment Sample on SSPM Position 3
DEBATE THE USE OF THROTTLING OR BLOCKING BY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS WITH RESPECT TO NET NEUTRALITY LAWS
1. Introduction
Implementation of bandwidth by internet service providers for maintenance of Net Neutrality Laws is complicated due to control over electronic communication systems used by customers globally. This study is focused on identifying major issues associated with blocking or throttling by internet service providers for the management of laws and optimum network speed of content or internet service providers. Net Neutrality laws play a significant part when it comes to maintaining the ability to connect with ability from different walks of life and exchanging information with one another freely without any restrictions. The goal of net neutrality is to ensure that any and every businesses that are working or trading on the internet are able to compete freely without any issues of partying “tolls” for using the net as a medium. However, despite the goal of net neutrality there lie several underlying causes which prove it extremely difficult for the businesses to freely work on the net. It has been found that there are several internet providers who start closing off sites on the net making it difficult for business owners to access and work freely. Thus, the use of such methods violates the basic goal of having net neutrality laws. The restricted access that is being caused by these internet providers also leads to a fall in the speed of downloads thereby giving rise to more issues. The following paper highlights the following issue of blocking of websites or giving restricted access and whether it is in violation of the net neutrality laws.
2. Arguments
The role of the internet service providers is to develop a “bridge” that connects the user to the main website. The ISP is the entities that allow which websites can be accessed by opening the channels between the websites and the user operating to find the same. Each website that is present has their own special ID and reference numbers (Young, 2019). The ISP takes it upon them to decide which users can or cannot access the sites. Often the ISP also acts on the regulations of the government by denying access that is by blocking users from reaching the website. Thus, the ISPs have the power to restrict the users and decide on what websites can and cannot be accessed by them. ISPs throttle the internet on a regular basis for maintaining and regulating network traffic in multiple platforms for providing a smooth experience. Internet service providers also perform internet blocking to clear up network congestion. Lundgren (2019), stated another purpose of throttling of the Internet for maintenance of their revenue model when a user reached data limit. This process forces customers to do additional recharge and increase sales of internet service providers. According to the view of Nguyen et al. (2020), throttling has become a potentially controversial matter because it influences the internet habits of users and makes a huge profit from them.
Net Neutrality Laws the multiple common carriers regulations for maintaining transparency in internet network data distributions among users without providing any special treatment. As argued by Lozada& Gary (2019), Net neutrality provides a legal framework for maintaining Business ethics and corporate policy of establishing customer-provider relationships. With the implementation of common carrier regulations, ISPs are unable to slow down websites or services associated with small businesses that cannot pay for fast lanes. According to the claim of internet service providers, they perform activities like throttling or blocking for maintenance of optimum network speech for maintaining internet traffic for broadcasting videos and maintaining quality. As argued by Arditi (2019), making maximum revenue is the major reason for performing these activities apart from common carrier regulations. The ISPs have to maintain several regulations and policies and ensure that the net surfing is a positive experience for the consumers using them. Having a weak bandwidth creates a lot of issues in loading websites and causes the quality of the content being displayed to become bad.
The ISPs use a variety of methods to block users from accessing websites. These blocking devices consist of firewalls, the use of Deep Packet Inspection and DNS filtering to name a few of them. Firewalls are mostly used by ISPs when it comes to controlling the traffic on the web. According to Layton (2017), the use of Firewalls helps in establishing rules for both inbound and outbound traffic on the web, as enforced by the used firewall. Say, in the case of accessing Instagram, the ISPs develop a firewall on the website so that no one can access the application unless the firewall is removed. Similarly, the process of DNS Filtering, when a user types the name of the website on the search bar it is first accessed by the ISP as they have control over all DNS queries. In such a situation, say the ISP does not want the user to access a certain website, and then they will reconfigure the entire IP address and return it back to the user. The user will be shown that the URL entered by the user is invalid and thus access will be restricted. Another alternative method that is found to be used in this case is asking the DNS to simply ignore any kind of requests coming in for a certain website. Thus, this is how the ISP providers make use of the DNS Filtering method and restricts users from accessing certain websites (Shahin, 2019). The Deep Packet Inspection method allows the ISP of a user to have access to all the unencrypted queries that have been made through DNS. This makes it easier for the ISP to filter through the datasets of the user and block certain websites using Firewall or DNS Filtering. Thus, it is through the use of these methods that the ISP works towards restricting or blocking certain websites, disallowing the users to access it. This method makes it difficult for many business institutions to contact businesses using the web.
There has been a huge debate several times regarding the role of the IUSPs in using Firewalls and DNS filtering to restrict access to the users. The question of the Net Neutrality laws has been raised to counter that the use of these methods by the service providers are a violation of the laws. Often there arises a question as to whether the Internet Service Providers have the power to block and restrict sites as they do today. The answer is yes, the ISP really can filter the web and decide whether a website can be accessed by a certain user or not. There are several types of restrictions that prompt the ISPs to make such decisions. Every single time a user visits the website, the connection request is first filtered by the ISP before permission is granted for the user to access the website. The major reasons that can be outlined for such actions are government regulations, the security of the channels that are being used to access the website or maybe the blocking is country specific. As opined by Hanna (2018), each of these reasons prompts the ISP to block users from accessing certain websites. Also, as it has been discussed in the above section, the cause may also be connected to maintaining the electronic communication and ensuring that the bandwidth speed is maintained. Thus, it can be considered that the net neutrality laws are merely a medium that allows for the maintenance of ethical issues when the web is being accessed by users and service providers alike. However, the blocking being done by the ISP is to ensure that the traffic is maintained and that no users get directed to a website that may cause issues.
3. Conclusion
From the above argument on the use of throttling or blocking by internet service providers for the management of Net Neutrality Laws it can be said control over bandwidth and electronic communication is necessary for maintaining legal aspects and consequences. Taking appropriate initiative by internet service provider’s best on law enforcement and regulations are necessary for customer protection and maintenance of the revenue generation model. The block and restriction done by the Internet Service Providers ensures that the web becomes a safe place for users of all ages and does not create any issues. The reason being that in the web there lays a vast amount of information that may or may not be appropriate for all ages. Having the ISP providers conduct blocking of certain sites ensures that the following scenario is maintained. Hence, it can be concluded that despite the claims made the ISPs are not in violation of throttling or blocking websites and filtering it for the users.
| Positive aspects of internet throttling | Negative aspects of internet throttling |
| ● Internet throttling has restricted the internet provider companies to increase their network speed as birds are dying and disappearing due to the harmful effects of the waves released by this internet. In this aspect, the Net Neutrality law has included some legal suits in it for increasing the sustainability of birds that have great contribution to reduce insect attack to the agricultural fields.
● In order to check the real speed provided by the internet service provider companies, streaming services Provider Company such as Netflix has decided to develop their own internet speed checking software or website that is “Fast.com” (Forbes.com, 2021). However, the current testing website for checking the internet speed provided by the internet service provider companies many organizations have asked their customers to check their speed in Ookla. ● In order to reduce the terrorism activities that are obtained through high internet speed or to reduce the frequency of cybercrimes, the Net Neutrality law has been modified so that slow or limited internet speed to some selective websites where the threat of malware or other viruses are major (Lundgren, 2019). The possible reason for limiting the usage of internet in certain websites includes the reason of increasing the sustainability of the birds for the sustainability of life-cycle on the earth.
● Net Neutrality has helped the users to get equal priority by any internet service providers. Contents of the websites are supposed to be allowed by the internet providers to all its internet subscribers (Arditi, 2019). In case the internet service provider wants to increase or reduce its internet speed of the users, it will not be able to do that. However, this factor has helped the internet security providers to identify various illegal activities on the internet and track their IP address to solve or reduce such crimes to make this society free from such issues (Nguyen et al. 2020). |
● Internet throttling has created major issues for the streaming services provider organizations such as Amazon Prime and Netflix. It has reduced the organizational reputation of these organizations because it has not been able to provide its viewers and subscribers with its promised service quality (Forbes.com, 2021).
● This issue has been faced by various internet providers because in terms of obeying the legal suits of Net Neutrality, it has not been able to provide the internet speed it has promised to its customers. A sense of dissatisfaction has generated among the internet users and internet provider companies have faced damaged reputation and brand image. ● Internet users pay a huge amount every month for watching disruption free videos and high internet speed. However, the reduced internet speed that has been provided by the internet service provider company influenced the users to make another recharge as they have reached the maximum internet bandwidth for that day (Lundgren, 2019). Many consumers’ complaints that they have not used their internet that much in the entire day, still they found their maximum internet using limit has ended. ● Internet users have faced issues due to the internet throttling because in case of using internet for an emergency work or a vital work, slow internet or limited bandwidth cause issues to accomplish that particular task.
|
Table 1: Argument comparison
Appendix
Appendix 1: Plan of argument
| Area | Researching strategy | Argument | Stakeholder 1 (employees)
Impact on them |
Stakeholder 2(customers)
Impact on them |
Stakeholder 3 (suppliers) Impact on them |
Stakeholder 4 (shareholders)
Impact on them |
Stakeholder 5 (community)
Impact on them |
| Net neutrality regulations | Secondary analysis | The purpose of NNR is to avoid discrimination practices by internet service provider’s end distributing internet quality and speed. It contributes to maintaining bandwidths for transparency generation of revenue by ISPs (Lozada& Gary, 2019) | Net Neutrality regulation advocates for network and data traffic to be treated indiscriminately. | The Net Neutrality regulations promote idea sharing and free speech. The regulations generally need ISPs in order to treat all of the content equally. | The current argument for net neutrality is placed as the principle on how government needs to play a role in managing their network practices and the working of ISPs regulation | The current debate is focus on how neutrality regulation is affected wealth of shareholders. | Blocking is also change treads in community so it is important to take consider while formation of rules for internet provider. |
| Blocking and Throttling | Secondary data collections | Throttling or blocking of internet services is legal for maintenance of congestion during peak hours for effective maintenance of internet traffic. Unfair or deceptive throttling of the internet of the customer is considered an illegal practices (Nguyen et al. 2020) | NNR reflects on the idea that the internet providers need to treat all of the contents that are flowing through their cells equally. This reflects that the services providers must not slide some of the content to fast lane while discriminating against other content material. | The companies must not block the users from accessing the services or slow down other apps in order to encourage the users to but different streaming services. | The NNR advocates for keeping the internet as open are needed for innovation. | The advocate of NNR is considers shareholders nevertheless process of service provide is different. | Throttling is too much affects community through something’s new in video or blog. |
| Revenue generation model | Comparison of multiple authors through secondary data | Normally, customer internet is being throttled by ISPs when they reach the maximum limit of data usage for a specific time period. For minor throttling helps in breaking down overexposure and overuse of internet platforms (Lundgren, 2019) | Many of the major internet entities, including Google, Face book and Netflix have supported the NNR, as they do get higher revenues from the users of their content. | In order to enhance the revenue streams and the competitive edge from the OTT companies, the internet providers are exploring new opportunities to generate revenues from the content servers. | The network providers are able to generate high revenue from the video streams and thus are bridging the digital rapidly. | The shareholders of different organisation are also able to improve their profitability due to new comfortable neutrality rules. | Revenue generation model is also afters community through indirectly. Internet provider is not consider community whole they are involve to making different contents for community due to their first property is profit generation. |
| Common Carriers regulations | Critical thinking and fact analysing | Common Carriers regulations control electronic Communication and the performance of internet service providers in a competitive marketing environment. It helps in maintaining transparency in providing internet services to the customers by maintaining legal framework and implications (Arditi, 2019) | The net neutrality will prevent the Internet providers from regulating or prohibiting what the customer’s access read or see on the internet. | The ISPs might threat some of the business to block some of the contents from sites and thus might also charge more money. | The neutral network advocates need to make understand that open access of net neutrality is followed. On the other hand, opponents of the neutral network in context to the free access argue that the legislations are excessive and thus it might stifle the broadband growth network. | The shareholders is also consider common rules and regulation while use different platform of internets. | Common rules are too much important for community as they are indirectly involved in develop rules and regulation for organisation. |
(Source: Lundgren, 2019)
Appendix 2: Diagram of throttling
(Source: Lundgren, 2019)
References
Arditi, D. (2019). Net neutrality, the value gap, and corporate interests. The Dialectic of Digital Culture. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 13-28. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Nq6kDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=NET+NEUTRALITY+LAWS&ots=HRjP1i9q9p&sig=FYBKxq8ZOL9-_vHmzdl9JsBmDwE
Becker, A.B. and Bode, L., 2018. Satire as a source for learning? The differential impact of news versus satire exposure on net neutrality knowledge gain. Information, Communication & Society, 21(4), pp.612-625. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from https://www.academia.edu/download/53281498/Becker_and_Bode_2017_-_Satire_as_a_source_for_learning.pdf
Forbes.com, 2021. About, Retrieved from:https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2019/06/27/how-can-i-tell-if-my-internet-provider-is-throttling-slowing-my-connection-speed/ [Retrieved on: 9th November 2021]
Hanna, M.J., 2018. Net neutrality: A brief overview of the policy and the FCC’s ruling to upend it. Computer, 51(04), pp.78-81. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel7/2/8352062/08352064.pdf
Layton, R., 2017. Which open internet framework is best for mobile app innovation?: An empirical inquiry of net neutrality rules around the world. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from https://vbn.aau.dk/ws/files/255922611/PHD_Roslyn_Layton_E_pdf_rettet.pdf
Lozada, H. R., & Gary, H. K. (2019). Net Neutrality Repeal and its Effect on Consumers. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 10(1). Retrieved from: http://ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol_10_No_1_January_2019/1.pdf
Lundgren, Z. (2019). The Four Horsemen of the Internet Apocalypse: The Revelation of State Net Neutrality Laws. Ga. L. Rev., 54, 977. Retrieved from: https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/geolr54§ion=27
McAlpin, M., 2020. What’s the FCC Got to Do With It?: How the FCC’s Repeal of Net Neutrality Affects Telehealth, Contributing to Inequities and Disparities. Federal Communications Law Journal, 72(2), pp.171-196. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from http://www.fclj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fcl_72-2_McAlpin.pdf
Nguyen, V., Mohammed, D., Omar, M., & Dean, P. (2020, March). Net Neutrality Around the Globe: A Survey. In 2020 3rd International Conference on Information and Computer Technologies (ICICT) (pp. 480-488). IEEE. Retrieved from: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9092026/
Popovski, K. and Janevski, T., 2020. 178. NET NEUTRALITY ANALYSIS AND MECHANISMS FOR ITS ASSESSMENT. Journal of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, 5(2), pp.125-134. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from https://jeeit.feit.ukim.edu.mk/index.php/jeeit/article/download/255/252
Shahin, S., 2019. Facing up to Facebook: How digital activism, independent regulation, and mass media foiled a neoliberal threat to net neutrality. Information, communication & society, 22(1), pp.1-17. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from https://www.academia.edu/download/57524543/Shahin_2019_Facing_up_to_Facebook.pdf
Young, O., 2019. California, Are You There? It’s the Entertainment Industry Calling and We Need Net Neutrality. Loy. LA Ent. L. Rev., 40, p.247. Retrieved on 11th November 2021 from https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1635&context=elr
Assignment Services Unique Submission Offers:
