11 net neutrality principles from higher ed you may have missed

Higher education verbalizes why net neutrality is critical to higher education

The threat to net neutrality is real, and no, it’s not just about how slow your Netflix movie could stream on a Sunday night. Net neutrality has generated a lot of buzz lately, but higher education wants to make clear—11 principles clear—that net neutrality has the power to radically alter education for better or for worse.

In case you missed it, this past January (2014) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit nixed the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) existing net-neutrality rules. In May, the FCC said it would propose new rules that could permit telecommunications companies to charge extra for high-speed delivery of content.

Those in favor of net neutrality (aka pretty much everyone except telecommunications companies) decried the proposal, saying that the new rules, if unchanged, could prove detrimental to everything from personal online streaming services (Hulu, Netflix, et cetera) to education and the ability to access the internet and its vast amount of resources.

Why you should care about net neutrality:

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Outside of public outcry, higher education took a stance early in July, drafting a set of 11 net neutrality principles http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EPO1305_1.pdf that the FCC should take note of, as well as the public and anyone interested in providing equal access to education.

(Next page: Principles 1-5)