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by Terr_ 3118 days ago
Except it doesn't, by definition. It's "Network neutrality", not "absolutely anything anybody thinks of when they say 'The Net' neutrality."

Similarly, "Road Neutrality" only applies to actual roads. It doesn't mean the local McDonald's has to let anybody could use their drive-thru for any reason, or that you're allowed to park in your neighbor's driveway, or that you can freely wander around a NASCAR track.

1 comments

Fair enough. In this case, "Road Neutrality" protects the consumer's access to a restaurant or bank. However, in reality there are civil rights laws that in turn forbid those restaurants and banks from refusing service to customers based on their ethnicity and gender.

I don't think it's a stretch, if we're comparing Networks to roads, to also compare network services like Google and Youtube to public accomodations like restaurants, hotels and banks, and discuss a set of protected classes for internet nondiscrimination.

Right, there are expectations that We The People have created, and -- for better or for worse -- some of them were codified and given legal force.

It just doesn't all nicely fit under one "be cool to each other" umbrella.