Sir Tim Berners-Lee has been given the task of promoting net neutrality in the UK, with the web inventor working alongside the Broadband Stakeholder Group to expand the current voluntary code of practise for ISPs.
Berners-Lee's main job, according to culture minister Ed Vaisey, is to "expand the agreement to cover managing and maintaining the open internet."
Vaisey has come up with three basic rules that he wants ISPs to adhere to, which are being put in place to make sure the general public have a fair access to the web.
"That agreement should be guided by three simple principles," said Vaisey.
"The first is users should be able to access all legal content. Second, there should be no discrimination against content providers on the basis of commercial rivalry and finally traffic management policies should be clear and transparent.
"The internet has brought huge economic and social benefits across the world because of its openness and that must continue."
Staying neutral
Berners-Lee believes that this can be done with greater transparency. In the meeting he had with a number of key web folk, including the BBC and Google, he said about the net neutrality proposals: "While transparency about traffic management policy is a good thing, best practices should also include the neutrality of the net.
"The web has grown so fast precisely because we have had two independent markets, one for connectivity, and the other for content and applications."
Currently there is no legislation is place by the government for net neutrality, so all rules are being abided on a voluntary bases.
As with most things, it seems that regulation on the issue will only occur if and when an ISP steps out of line.
Via ZDnet
