FCC vote on "net neutrality" leads to a display being put up at Preus Library

Staffers at Preus Library on the Luther College campus have put together a timely display on "net neutrality."  The Federal Communications Commission board will meet Thursday in Washington, D.C. to vote on a proposal which would change the rules which govern the Internet.

"Net neutrality" is the principle that all traffic on the Internet should be treated equally.  The model being discussed on Thursday in Washington D.C. would allow Internet service providers to charge different rates for different kinds of Internet traffic, in effect creating "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" of Internet traffic.

Luther Acquisitions and Resource Management Librarian Freeda Brook, Technical Services Assistant Emily Mineart and College Archivist Hayley Jackson have created a display at Preus Library which explains these concepts and others.  Brook says the display is intended as informational. The three staffers hope the display will create a dialogue about the pros and cons of different ways of regulating the Internet.

The issue is especially important to librarians, who see how people rely on the Internet as a research source.  The American Library Association has issued a statement supporting a "free and open Internet" which supports the "right of all peoples to seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction."

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