When I first set off to write this piece, I was warned not to do it. Perhaps I am too obsessed with nuanced debate, but I had convinced myself that this issue is more complicated than “internet companies screwing over customers for their own gain” vs. “the utopia of free internet and free information”.

I believe that the concept of net neutrality, while seemingly ideal, is naïve. Networks need discrimination to function. Let’s take wifi routers, for example. Routers are constantly selecting for and against information as part of their operations, the very operations that are making our internet usable. Routers not only decide which interface a packet is forwarded to, but more importantly, they also modulate which packets to drop when the signal is congested. Without modulation, signal congestion will just lead to a roadblock, with pages not loading and my blood pressure rising. Personally, I’d let a few information packets drop if it makes the internet more usable.

Thanks to routers, I can use the non-neutral internet at a functional speed, but ideally I’d like to be able to open a web page without being bombarded by hot single women near me. I’m flattered, but no thanks. Therefore I turn to AdBlock, my new hero. No longer will I experience the tell-tale lag that accompanies ad loading. No longer will I endure the embarrassment of random ads showing my internet browsing patterns. All of this is permitted by a relaxation of net neutrality rules.

While net neutrality sounds nice, it’s pretty non-functional. Instead of actively providing a better quality service by slowing down annoying ads, internet service providers (ISPs) instead slow down popular websites and charge them to receive the same service that other websites enjoy. The solution to this behaviour, however, is not to mandate net neutrality, which would result in no significant difference between competing ISPs. Encouraging companies to offer creative, functional services should be the number one priority when it comes to maintaining an open — but not necessarily neutral — internet.