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Gated Internet and Net Neutrality

“Something I knew: if you just put traffic on the Internet, it’s not necessarily going to go by the most efficient route.

Something I didn’t know: that can make a pretty big difference. The default routes can be slow, clogged, and high latency. Think Cross-Bronx Expressway.”

From Joel on Software. This item describes their experience using Akamai IP Acceleration Service to speed up the delivery of their Copilot online service. If you don’t know, Akamai has a network of servers around the world that acts as a privileged internet, shunting your traffic on to their servers then dropping your data off at the exit nearest the person who has requested your web page or web application. It’s been around quite awhile.

What this article really describes one of the key issues with net neutrality: the ability for companies to privilege one type internet traffic over another. The theory is that doing so will degrade internet service for everyone who does not pay to play. Startups like eBay, Google, and Amazon would not have survived in a world with a privileged internet; their customers and prospects would have thrown up their hands at the slow speeds and gone to bigger players, or not seen their services at all. I’m surprised AT&T and other giant corporations pushing to remove net neutrality don’t simply buy Akamai or create similar services. The worst case future apparently is already here. And has been for years.

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