Google Wants Its Own Fast Track on the Web - Screw Net Neutrality

Google who has always been one of the loudest advocates of equal network access for all content providers, has begun approaching cable and phone companies with a proposal to create a "fast lane" for it's own content.

The core principle of Net neutrality is that cable and phone companies are supposed to treat all internet traffic the same. No company, not even Google, is allowed to jump to the front of the line.

If this goes through this could have major effects on the internet as we know it today. If major companies like Google succeed in gaining preferential treatment, the Internet could become a place where big companies get faster and easier access to the Web than smaller ones. Many large traditional media companies like Hearst and Tribune could look at this as a way to "right the ship," making their premium online content more appealing than the long tail of information that is killing them today.

Another interesting bit is that Microsoft and Yahoo have reportedly withdrawn quietly from a coalition formed two years ago to protect network neutrality. Each company has forged partnerships with phone and cable companies.