Although “the Internet” seems ethereal, it is in fact a network of networks that connects billions of users around the world. The capabilities of the Internet are dependent on the reach of those networks. Many governments worldwide are considering how to effectively and efficiently make robust networks available to their citizens to enable them to access the Internet.
Wireless or “mobile” devices send information one-to-one (like mobile phones), one-to-many (like AM or FM radio), or many-to-many (like Wi-Fi Internet access). Wireless devices send and receive signals along the electromagnetic spectrum in the form of waves similar to visible light or sound.
Given the significance of the Internet, preserving its “openness” – an idea often referred to as “network neutrality” or “net neutrality” – has been a long-standing issue.
High-speed Internet access – often referred to as “broadband” – is a set of technologies that, taken together, are recognized as a potential catalyst for global economic and social change.
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TAP Blog
Economics professor Nicholas Economides explains why the Federal Communications Commission’s recent decision regarding net neutrality will protect the free flow of content on the Internet and ensure fair competition.
March 17, 2015
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"There is ultimately a longer game here than net neutrality, which is what authority the FCC has into the future over broadband services. From an industry standpoint, ultimately they are probably more concerned from getting out from under FCC oversight than they are about authorization to engage in hypothetical discrimination." — Kevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
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Featured Article
The author argues that the FCC should move towards a standards-based approach to overseeing digital networks.
September 21, 2009
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