COMPROMISING NET NEUTRALITY // BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
COMPROMISING
INTERNET SURCHARGES BY JOHN HARDY
N
et neutrality has become a controversial fact of tech life as well as a confusing business and political buzz phrase.
Sometimes referred to as freedom-of-Internet, net neutrality is the principle that all Internet service providers should enable user access to all content and applications, regardless of the source and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites. “Net neutrality enforces that enterprises play fair to ensure consumers and enterprises get the choice they deserve,” says Lindsay Skabar, vice president of communications and marketing at Axia FibreNet, the Calgary-based designer and operator of several open-access fibre-based Internet and data networks. “After all, everyone’s ability to access data and services online should be considered equal. Without net neutrality, consumers, companies and institutions could lose equal access to all the online services and tools they need.”
Even for some tech-savvy users, thoroughly understanding net neutrality can be a tricky tech challenge. Reasonable analogies sometimes help.
ABOVE: LINDSAY SKABAR, VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING, AXIA FIBRENET.
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MAY 2018 // BUSINESS IN CALGARY // BUSINESSINCALGARY.COM