The concept of net neutrality has been the subject of much debate in congress lately. Its backers include internet content companies like Google and eBay who want to bar internet providers from charging extra fees give priority to some content.
In a recent filing with the FCC, the Justice Department said service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority web traffic, claiming that certain net neutrality efforts could "prevent, rather than promote, optimal investment and innovation in the Internet, with significant negative effects for the economy and consumers." Department of Justice's antitrust chiefs say that proponents of network neutrality haven't provided sufficient evidence that the regulations are necessary and that its antitrust enforcers will take action to ensure fair broadband competition if necessary.
Net Neutrality critics include high-speed Internet providers such as AT&T and Verizon who maintain that they would not block access to public Internet sites but want to offer differentiated services that respond to market demand and expand consumer choice.