Hello ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed that gif up there because I sure did! Now, onto the important stuff. Net Neutrality is the equal treatment for everyone on the Internet, same speed, same quality. Good good stuff. Here's an in-depth definition for those who want to get a grasp of the whole concept. [quote]Net neutrality (also network neutrality, Internet neutrality, or net equality) is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet the same, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication. [/quote] Straight outta Wikipedia! But this doesn't just affect the pr0nz, it also affects video games! Yes! Online Games such as CS:GO, TF2, and whatever the hell cool kids are playing these days. Take a look: [quote] [...]coalition of game developers met with FCC representatives to show their support for net neutrality guidelines and urge the FCC to prevent ISPs like Comcast from segregating the Internet based on a multi-tiered broadband price plan. The developers (among them Christopher Dyl of Turbine, who worked on Lord of the Rings Online) asserted that all modern multiplayer games have been developed for the current Internet infrastructure, and that "balkanizing" the network based on ISP preference would be "a substantial drag on innovation because it would divert resources from development" of future titles. "All we want is transparency and protection against discrimination; if you're making or playing a game, you want to know what kind of data your ISP will block and why internet network neutrality," says Dan Scherlis, former CEO of Turbine and producer of Asheron's Call. Scherlis and other advocates of FCC regulation are encouraging gamers to support net neutrality out of a very real fear that your ISP may begin limiting access to select websites or imposing bandwidth caps in the near future. Multi-tiered service packages (in which a provider like Time Warner might offer preferential access to Internet services and increased bandwidth caps in return for higher fees) are a very real possibility without federal oversight, leading to a possible future where an ISP charging extra for the ability to play games online is just as acceptable as Microsoft charging for an Xbox Live Gold Account is today. Without established net neutrality guidelines we also risk fragmenting the online gaming market; if service providers are free to throttle bandwidth we may soon see an Internet segregated by competing telecommunications companies. Allowing the FCC to enforce Scherlis' twin standards of transparency and equal access would prevent platform exclusivity deals like those made by Microsoft and Sony from erupting between Internet service providers like Comcast and Time Warner.[/quote] Yes yes, net neutrality is pretty darn important for us since we keep screwing around in Offtopic, and play videogames, and waste time overall. What can you do to help protect this you say? Why, go to savetheinternet.com and click on the Take Action or Donate to the cause! [i]Adieu.[/i]