Thoughts on Network Neutrality

Net neutrality is the concept that allows all internet access to be equal to all people for the same price, instead of ISPs charging more to certain customers for a higher quality connection. Without net neutrality, the ISPs would be able to have much more control over our internet use, including the ability to monitor our activity and sell it, apply unwanted restrictions and censorship, slowing down high data transfers, and favoring sites with pay the provider more. Net neutrality is a good thing because we are given unrestricted internet use with no bias towards sites that may pay more for their service, giving everyone a level playing field allows start ups to compete with big names. It has been in the news recently over a dispute in which Netflix tried to fight to save neutrality and lost, and is actually beginning to pay ISPs such as Verizon and Comcast for better service. This outrages the company and its customers because eventually the additional cost will be affecting the Netflix subscribers. As a Netflix user, this affects me because my monthly fee could increase to cover the additional costs that they now have to pay the service providers. Or, if Netflix chooses to stop paying, it could slow down the service.
This topic is similar to freedom of speech because if an ISP were to take away the neutrality on the net, they gain the ability to control and censor many things that are said by their users on the web. This takes away people's ability to share exactly what they want, whenever they want. If a company can manipulate that, they may be able to remove any harsh criticisms of their service while promoting anti-competition posts. It leaves people with a propaganda-esque view on things because it would be very biased.
I think that we need to keep net neutrality in tact in order to protect the freedom of speech and the equality between all sites. If big name sites begin to pay for their service, there is no way any small start ups could catch up with them because they just don't have the means. It's important that we trust what we are reading on the internet as true or at least an opinion because, otherwise, we are just reading the opinion of a single company.

Other Sources:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/sti-home
https://www.aclu.org/net-neutrality

These sites seem valid because they are unbiased and both published, copyrighted websites.