No matter what or who sparks our interest, we know that we can Google it (or them) whenever we want with no consequences. On the Internet, our privacy is protected. Or is it?

According to Savetheinternet.com, “Network Neutrality – or ‘Net Neutrality’ for short – is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet." According to the Website, giant corporations such as AT&T, Time Warner, Comcast, and Verizon, want to be Internet gatekeepers, inhibiting the speed at which we access certain sites and keeping some from loading at all. These corporations are shelling out massive amounts of money lobbying to Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to end Net Neutrality, which is, according to Savethenternet.com, putting the future of the Internet at risk.

How exactly would this affect us in the future? According to Savetheinternet.com:

If Congress turns the Internet over to the telephone and cable giants, everyone who uses the Internet will be affected. Connecting to your office could take longer if you don't purchase your carrier's preferred applications. Sending family photos and videos could slow to a crawl. Web pages you always use for online banking, access to health care information, planning a trip, or communicating with friends and family could fall victim to pay-for-speed schemes.

This distorted Internet of the future sounds like an unimaginable hassle. But before we panic and fret about whether or not accessing our precious Internet is about to turn into a nightmare, it is worth a further look.

The United States has three federal agencies, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that all hold responsibility in managing the Net Neutrality issue. A little more than one year ago, Deborah Platt Majoras, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, announced that she had formed the Internet Access Task Force to examine issues being raised by converging technologies, such as the ones mentioned on the Save the Internet Website.

“I ask myself whether consumers will stand for an Internet that suddenly imposes restrictions on their ability to freely explore the Internet or does not provide for the choices they want. And I further ask why network providers would not continue to compete for consumers’ dollars by offering more choices, not fewer. We make a mistake when we think about market scenarios simply as dealings between and among companies; let us not forget who reigns supreme: the consumer,” she told members of the Progress and Freedom Foundation. (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/08/neutrality.shtm)

Majoras brings up an important point: the power of the consumer. When Internet encyclopedias and dictionaries began to charge consumers for use, Internet users responded by creating free versions in Wikipedia and Dictionary.com. Youtube allowed users to easily post and access free music videos, commercials, and even movies, all of which were once only accessible by subscribing to MTV or buying the video on pay-for-service Websites such as iTunes. As recently as three weeks ago, NBC Universal and News Corp released Hulu, a Website that offers full-length feature films, television shows and clips from more than 50 content providers including FOX, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and more. With the launch of each of these Websites, media has become exponentially more available than ever before.

These Websites represent only three of the thousands of forces propelling the Internet into its more convenient, accessible future. Sure, giant corporations can spend a fortune lobbying for Web changes that might seem to only serve their own good. However, for millions of people, the Internet is the most important medium for contacting family and friends, researching, and for accessing the news and entertainment. It has become such a fundamental part of a large and powerful portion of the American population that any corporation’s attempts to change its fluidity would be – and already has been – met with vehement opposition.