Right now, the belief of Internet users is that we should be able to access the Internet at the most rapid speed possible, as well as view any website we desire, regardless of whether it is a corporate site or a mom-and-pop site. We also have the impression that we should be able to use any Internet service we wish for watching videos online, instant messaging and listening to podcasts. However, if “Net Neutrality” is to be eliminated, this will no longer be the case.For those who have not yet heard about Network Neutrality, or “Net Neutrality” for short, it is the primary principle that guides and maintains a free and open Internet. The thought process behind broadband providers who wish to abolish Net Neutrality, such as Comcast, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. is their belief that they should have the ability to sell premium services and prevent certain applications from taking up their systems’ capacity, due to the fact that they are spending billions of dollars on maintaining their networks. Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said that web applications, like search engines, should “share the cost” of broadband – broadband that’s already been paid for by the consumer. While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hopes to avoid the destruction of a level playing field, it faces multiple roadblocks while striving to maintain equality.Your access to a speedy connection, as well as access to unlimited websites and services, will suffer a heavy blow. By ending Net Neutrality, one will essentially hand over his free reign of Internet access to major cable providers who wish to redesign the Internet for their benefit. Without Neutrality, they will then be able to restrict and control your Internet access, rather than you, the consumer, having any real power over the product. With the end of Net Neutrality, the Internet may become a less accessible and reliable source to obtain free information quickly.Recently, however, the FCC lost an important ruling in their battle for Internet neutrality. It was deemed they lacked the authority to require broadband providers to give and maintain equal treatment to all Internet traffic on their networks. This has further jeopardized the future of the Internet and its regulations for consumers. If Net Neutrality is abolished, large companies will not only determine how rapidly or slowly a site loads, but also if a site is to load at all. Fighting to preserve Net Neutrality is extremely important, and the threat of the loss should be taken very seriously. The Internet has become an essential part of many individuals’ lives today, and losing the freedom to explore it would have an extreme, negative impact on our society. In a generation where people want information faster than ever, it is hard to imagine the most common source of that information being cut out of the picture. Congress should preserve Net Neutrality and keep the power of the Internet in the hands of its users.Right now, you can access the Internet at a rapid speed, as well as view any page you choose to. If Net Neutrality is eliminated, the situation will be drastically different. According to Joelle Tessler of www.msnbc.msn.com, the U.S. Court of Appeals cast a shadow of doubt over the future of Internet regulations and U.S. broadband expansion plans Tuesday, April 6 after making a decision that went against the FCC.“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC lacks authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks,” Tessler said.If Congress decides to get rid of Net Neutrality, power over the Internet will be handed over to large companies, who are attempting to redesign the Internet altogether. No consumers want to buy into or support a product that does not consider their needs in return for their consumption. If we allow broadband providers to have this power over the Internet, that is exactly what will happen. James Hilton, associate provost for Academic IT Works of the University of Michigan, said, “If Net Neutrality goes away, it will fundamentally change everything about the Internet.”With the end of Net Neutrality, the accessibility and convenience of the Internet will greatly diminish. You will receive slower service, have fewer options for content and pay higher rates if you want higher-quality access. With many people using their computers and smart phones to access information on the Internet, more so than any other method, we will be faced with a great deal of challenges in order to compensate for the lack of information resources, due to the elimination of the convenience of one of the most dominant forms of information access.“The Wireless Association, which has battled furiously to keep the openness rules from being applied to 3G smart phone connections, quickly reacted, saying the rules could ‘stifle innovation and harm consumers,’” Ryan Singel, a writer for www.wired.com, said.Though broadband providers wish to recreate the Internet in order to reward themselves for the money they spend on their networks, limiting and punishing their consumers, the reason the providers even exist, would only be commercial suicide.Therefore, to abolish the equality of Net Neutrality would be the beginning of the end for the World Wide Web altogether. Without the freedom to instantly access any information online, the convenience and accessibility of that revolutionary invention, the Internet, would greatly diminish. In order to save this luxury we have taken for granted for so many years, we must do our part to fight for the preservation of Net Neutrality.