Open Internet

It is with trepidation that this article is posted.  Not for the message, rather for distinct possibility that it might come across as presumptuous or even condescending.  With all the conversations and articles and global meetings around net neutrality, and even more so often a lack of conversation about it, it begs to question whether people know how the internet was designed to operate.

Net neutrality is, for those who don't know, the ideology that no one entity or person should control or moderate the information that is transferred between two or more computers or electronic devices on the internet.  That all data should be treated equally.

This concept actually stems from a philosophical ideology that suggests that basic human rights should include unrestricted access to common knowledge and communication, for better or for worse.

Before the internet was first thought up and designed, even before ARPANET (which many point to as being the parent of the internet), there were networks and global packet switching which were co-joined and shared.

The first such electronic networks came into widespread use in 1876!  Yes, surprisingly that long ago.  Although switchboards were developed as early as 1854, telegraphy and single and multi-hop signal message transmission is yet a much older technology.  The first connected networks were actually telegraph and then telephone exchange networks using manual switching.  These are effectively the technological forerunners of digital network switching and the same framework is used in designing new, current day networks.  Many of the same twisted pair lines are still being used by those without resources or access to more advanced technology networks.

The first phones were connected directly, but it quickly became apparent that a more efficient system, along with the ability to transfer calls from one local line or local switchboard, to global switchboard was necessary.  These agreements between local exchanges were necessary to provide value, although this led to the toll business of fee charging, especially by larger national and international exchange companies for local switches to access remote locations that were otherwise unavailable.

It wasn't until the widespread use of the automated switch, invented in 1888, that eventually moved the communication industry forward.

From there, technologies started manifesting themselves quicker.  We had wireless networks, known as HAM or amateur radio, as early as 1909.  We had the telex network as early as 1926.  Then came computers and finally, computers began to be connected to each other.  Eventually, computers began to be networked together, as described in the wikipedia history of networks.

This is where things get a bit interesting, though.  To be fair, the US contributed a lot to computer technology as well as network technology.  That said, there was a lot of cross pollination of technology development overseas in Europe, as well.  This includes the British Colossus computer which pre-dates the US's ENIAC by three years.  And interestingly, both US scientist Paul Baran and UK scientist Donald Davies both worked out the electronics of packet switching in the same year, 1968, prior to the design of ARPANET.   This is actually an important point to our current net neutrality issues and it was packet switching that made ARPANET a reality.  I do expect to get some criticisms on this, although I have done my best to be as factual as possible.

Along with that is the conceptualization of ARPANET.  Before ARPANET, there was ARPA.  In 1963, the first director of a department called IPTO, J. C. R. Licklider came up with an idea, and called it the Intergalactic Computer Network.  It has been suggested that Mr. Licklider was calling for an open internet, accessible to all.  For the purpose of this article, that specific comment directly by Mr. Licklider can not be found other than by third party comment, although his initial memo certainly speaks of an open sharing of resources within ARPA associated organizations via a network of connected computers.

ARPANET was, of course, created with public money.  What followed it was further, publicly funded network expansions including CSNET and then NSFNET, in the US.  These networks began to connect with other, international research and educational facilities and networks.  As, at least in the US / North America, the NSFNET acceptable use policy was very explicit that it was not to be used for solicitation or commercial purposes.  Of course, those types of activities may have been acceptable, insofar as they were conducted on solicitation and commercially friendly portals, such as BBS sites and so-called online service providers such as Prodigy, CompuServe, AOL, etc.

And with the expanding internet, came the pull out of publicly funded companies and the transition to privately owned networks and the commercial internet we know, today.  So entrenched in commercialization, many may be hard pressed to remember a time when the internet had no advertising and a request for donations was followed by a flame war and a ban from the internet, of the solicitor.

As far as net neutrality, it is more than just unbiased transport of data from one computer or node to another.  Two other core premise is access by all and ubiquity.  Thus there are many who are working on this, utilizing ad hoc, peer to peer, Mesh Networks.  These networks are generally trust based, meaning you cannot connect to them without authorization, but that authorization is sometimes free.  While this does not create what is generally accepted as a public service, it brings about public ownership of the internet, per user that may extend the mesh.

So in many ways, while there are ongoing and heated discussions directed at attempting to ensure private service providers do not restrict content, these new mesh networks solve the problem, without the need to have those discussions.  One computer connected to these mesh networks can connect to another computer on these mesh networks, so long as there is a route.  No single entity, no private company, nor government, nor ill intentioned individual can control this access and communication, as a blocked route will only result in data following another, unblocked route.  It's why the silk road and copyright file sharing exists and will exist in perpetuity.

At this point, there are a lot of people discussing ideas such as deep web and dark web.  The distinction of the two is really the difference between what is often considered legal communication and transaction and what is considered illegal communication and transaction.  Obviously those are subjective concepts, but nevertheless that separation is what is often left out of the conversation.  And this talking point is very important to the conversation because while both activities might be available, it is entirely intention based whether someone will actively conduct themselves in ways that are harmful or considered illegal.

This is analogous to how the original internet (when it transferred from ARPANET to public access) functioned.  The information was "out there", but you had to know how to access it, like the deep web.  There was, of course, illegal, or at least ethically questionable activities on the original internet, as we see now in the so called Dark Web.  In many ways, the discussion has come full circle, because the internet as we may know and love, still exists as the Deep Web.  What is being called the internet (more often then not, the commercial arena we see) is really synonymous with what was then known as internet portals, such as AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy, etc.

So what this article really is intended to assert is, the internet IS technically open, and will remain that way, so long as those who are engaged in using it are willing and open to make the non-commercialized aspect of the internet available to all.

In the Open Source community, we realized it was ineffective to fight against commercial entries in the industry.  Rather, Open Source simply became the message as a solution, for those who were interested.  So rather than being stuck in a fight, we have the amazing, capable Open Source tools that exist, from operating systems to business document creation suites, graphics and audio software, and so much more, just to access and use the internet.

If we continue to build and maintain an open internet through intentional participation, everyone wins.